Ninjago: Lloyd's Story
by ninjagogirl luvs iceage21
Summary: In the sequel to my last four stories, we are now at the part for Lloyd to tell us his point of view. Questions are being asked. What is gonna happen to him? Will he make enemies his friends? Does he have a crush? Here's the bigger question. How did he turn back into a kid? We still don't know. You're about to find out. Read on to find out what happens in this epic story for Lloyd.
1. Introduction

LLOYD'S STORY

INTRODUCTION

WHERE DID WE LEAVE OFF?

 **HEY, GUYS! lovesgod12 HERE!**

 **I AM BACK WITH THE SEQUEL TO MY EARTH NINJA`S STORY AND TO MY SERIES OF NINJAGO. THIS IS GONNA BE SO AWESOME. FOR ALL YOU LLOYD LOVERS, THIS IS GONNA BE SO EPIC.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT.**

 **ENJOY!**

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 **NO POV:**

It all started with the loss of Zane. The story was also about a woman named Zeah who lived in the northern art of Ninjago where it was always freezing. Her father left to head out into Ninjago City. When he was in the woods one night, a mysterious creature captured Zeah`s father Howard and imprisoned him. His daughter wouldn't of known about it if his horse had never ran through back to the village and warn her about the trouble. She left with the horses and went to rescue her father. She found him, but not without the creature known as the Overlord finding out about it. Seeing as though the Overlord wouldn't free her father under any circumstances, Zeah decided to take her father's place as prisoner. Her father left and Zeah was left alone, but she wasn't locked up. The Overlord decided to let her stay and wander around in the forest for the rest of your days.

While Zeah was looking for some medicine to help her injured horse, she encountered some treehorns. After screaming so loud as to call for help, a mysterious man in a cloak attacked the treehorns making them run off and saving Zeah`s life. The man underneath the cloak was Zane, although he was different with his titanium silver skin and his eyes glowing blue. Throughout the last week or so, Zeah spent more time with Zane than she had with any other man. When she saw that her father was out in the cold woods looking for her, sick as a dog and hurt, she wanted to find him. Zane let her go, saying that he would take care of the Overlord. There was only one reason why he let her go. He did it because he loved her.

Zeah returned home after finding her father unconscious in the middle of the woods with his horse only standing near him. When she got him home safe and sound, a shoddy man named Nelson Jones came to Zeah`s door and asked for her love to him. When she told him that she didn't love him, Nelson was furious, even after she told him that there was someone else she loved more than any other man. Nelson left to take of the Overlord himself. Zeah couldn't stand the thought of leaving Zane out there and getting hurt so she and her father returned to the Birchwood Forest.

Once they got there, they saw a battle between good and evil happening beyond their very eyes. Once the Overlord was defeated, Nelson walked up to Zeah and asked her once more for her live. She refused once again. Nelson couldn't handle it anymore and smack Zeah with the side of the one and only ice sword that would belong to the mistress of ice. When Nelson tried to harm Zane, the only thing that happened was Nelson became as cold as his heart and Zane trapped himself in forever ice. Zeah was heartbroken, but when finally said she loved Zane, a light began to shine and Zane became his old self again. Their love would continue to grow strong, even during the hard battles that they must face. The master of ice and the mistress of ice.

After Zane`s story comes Kai`s. The story starts with a woman named Kitty who was just an ordinary city person. She met Kai at a wedding party as she had agreed to take Borg to it. They started hanging out a lot and spending time together. This was all before a new villain named Smithee came along. A battle to save Ninjago came into place. Kai was the only one who knew how to stop the machine Smithee had to make sure Ninjago was not broken up into seven pieces. Only the elemental heat from Kai was enough to destroy the machine. When he blacked out, everybody stated that Kai was gone.

Actually, he wasn't gone. Kai found himself in the middle of the woods with no memory at all. He made his way towards a nearby village where he passed out in front of somebody's door. When he came to, he was in bed. It was stated that he had a temporary case of amnesia. Kai was in the presence of a very wealthy woman named Lady Smith, who was also known to be Kai`s grandmother. Once his memory started coming back, she called his sister and the ninja, including Kitty. They reunited again once more, even if they really thought he was gone, but now he was back.

Shortly after Kai was found, they headed straight to the Ninjago Islands. On their first night there, a battle between the ninja and Smithee` s army came into place. Kitty was injured and no sooner did seven strange men emerge out of the woods and led them to a pool of water as the placed Kitty in it, healing the wounds that were upon her. They showed them to their village and introduce them to their families. The island is also the place where Sensei Wu was reunited with his wife, Lora. On a festive night, Kitty was kidnapped, which made Kai`s anger rise up so high that he actually trained to rescue her. He went to battle Smithee and it was a fight that lasted from sunset to sunrise. It was at sunrise when Kai and Kitty finally shared a kiss. After they left the island, they knew their time for battles would not end and neither would their love. The master of fire and the mistress of fire.

The story continues with Jay who was going through a massive set of changes. After a day trip to the zoo, Jay met the head veterinarian who was a very beautiful girl. They started spending time with each other, but secrets were kept and lies were told. Jen finally figured out that Jay was dating another girl a couple of years after they had spilt apart, for they were childhood friends a while back. The night before Jen moved, she and Jay shared a kiss together and it made her heart break when she found out that Jay was with someone else a while back. The day she found out was also on that night when was kidnapped.

Jay did all he could to get help from everyone else to find the gems to make sure a new villain named Tigree didn't get his hands on them. Throughout that time, Jay broke Nya`s heart as well, which sent him on his way to find Jen on his own. When everyone was kidnapped, they ended up in the Tigarians kingdom, where a crowd of felines was watching what would happen when they took over. Jay had also been kidnapped, but a battle began when he refused to destroy his father. When Tigree`s claws were chopped off, he was sent through a portal, never to be seen again. The sword that Jay had used belong to the mistress of lightning, which had already been found. Jay and Jen finally shared a kiss, seeing that their live would continue to grow strong, no matter what happened in life. The master of lightning and the mistress of lightning.

The story leaves off with Cole. Cole reunites with some old friends and also during that time, a clan of evil called the Aperians come up with their leader Aperia. After an incident that happened with one of Cole's friends, he goes back to the guy named Jimmy Wedge and beats him to a pulp, forcing Cole to go into exile. Throughout his time in the exiled village, Cole meets a very pretty girl. They start spending time with each other, but they both have a secret. Cole can't tell Carol that he's a ninja and Carol is in exile. When they decide to leave, more things come along after Jimmy Wedge tries to take Carol away from Cole.

Now Carol is concerned about her father and Cole has heard that his mother has returned home after so long. During their time in the woods, they both get kidnapped by the apes. For a long time, a creature known as the Great Ape was possessed inside of Cole for years and it finally escaped. The only person that could save him was Carol because everybody knows that love can cure anything. They finally share a kiss and are immediately removed from exile by the permission of Borg. The sword was found when they were searching for the two lovebirds inside the ruins of an ancient ape ruin. No matter how many secrets are kept, nothing can separate two people that love each other deeply. The master of earth and the mistress of earth.

But what about Lloyd? There are so many secrets and questions that are left unanswered. How did he turn back into a kid? That's the main one. Well, this story here is all about Lloyd. Take a look into the green ninja`s world as we discover this little guy's point of view. This is Lloyd's Story.

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 **I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. IT TOOK ME ABOUT AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES TO WRITE THIS. NOT THAT I'M KEEPING UP WITH THE TIME OR ANYTHING.**

 **I WAS GONNA START WITH THE NEW YEAR'S CHAPTER AS THE INTRODUCTION, BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT. DON'T WORRY. THE FIRST CHAPTER WILL BE HERE TOMORROW HOPEFULLY.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THIS. I WAS JUST SUMMING UP THE LAST FOUR STORIES.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	2. New Year's Eve Party

CHAPTER 1

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I have to say that this is one of my favorite nights of the year. It's one of the only nights where I get to stay up until midnight to watch the New Year come into place. It's the greatest night to actually have a party. Even though I had to wear a suit and tie in order to go to it, at least I'm staying up for half the night. Monica didn't last so long because she fell asleep an hour ago and was placed to bed. I was scared the same thing would happen to Nick because his eyes were starting to droop. I kept shaking him to make sure he stayed awake. Some of the time, I was trying to sneak over to the snack table and find some good, and the other half was having the courage to speak to Zelda. She and her mom were invited to come over and celebrate the New Year with us. It was kind of embarrassing, but it was also kind of great that they did.

I've been waiting for the perfect time to have the chance to talk to Zelda, but it's just never came up. I couldn't go in front of her and say one word without my cheeks blushing and stammering when I say one word. This time I was gonna do it. A New Year was beginning and it's time to start things over. It was time to do the things I expected to do one year but never got around to it. This year, none of that is gonna happen. I'm a changed person. It's time to start acting like one. I placed my feet on the floor and looked over at Zelda. Once she saw me and smiled, I knew that was my cue. I started walking towards her, but just before I could make one step, Nick jumped in front of me, blowing one of those party blowers in my face. I fell on the floor, screaming a bit as well.

Nick started laughing, but my face blushed in anger. Nick held a hand out to help me up, still laughing. "Sorry about that, Lloyd. I was just putting you in the party mood. Plus, all this excitement is helping me stay awake to watch the New Year have an awesome beginning. Was I interrupting you from something?"

I sighed. "No, not really. I was just trying to go and sneak some more snacks."

"You know, I was overhearing Cole talking about how he was gonna make one of his resolutions to cut out all sweets, but I know that's only gonna last a week. He can't even last one day without eating a snack cake."

"Speaking of resolutions, what have you thought of that would make the new year better?"

"I don't know. I'm still thinking about that. Hopefully I'll have one by tomorrow. As long as I don't wait until the last minute like I usually do. What about you?"

"I have one resolution. To have some unknown secrets solved this year."

"Secrets? What secrets? Is there something I don't know about that you haven't told me?"

"Yeah. Kind of. You see, before I met you, I was older, but after we lost Zane, I zoned out for a while and one day I saw that I was a kid again. I don't know how it happened. I don't remember where I've been or what I was doing. I just woke up one day and saw that I was a kid again. The worst kind of embarrassment I've ever had to face."

"So you used to be older?"

"I was. I didn't really have much of a childhood anyway, so what was the point in spending the rest of my childhood doing other stuff when I knew that the only thing I would be doing is training? So, when my friends were in a tight spot and the Grundle was about to attack them, I threw tomorrow's tea at it and sent it back to dust and bones. That turned the ninja back to adults because they were turned into kids by my dad when he was still evil and it changed me into a teenager. So now a question remains. How did I turn back into a kid?"

"Are you sure that you can't remember what happened? I'm pretty sure that you can."

"I can't. I really can't. I don't know what I was doing during that time. I can't seem to sum things up."

"Can't seem to sum what up?" I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Zelda, all fancied up in her yellow dress and yellow flats. Her blue eyes sparkled at me. At least I think they did. "Is everything alright, Lloyd?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," I said, "Nothing to worry about. I'm am oh-so alright."

"Oh, alright then. I couldn't help but overhear you and Nick talking about your New Year's resolutions."

"Yeah. We were just talking about that. Not like we were talking about anything suspicious or that sort of thing because we weren't."

"Have you figured out a resolution yet, Zelda?" Nick asked.

"I have," Zelda said, "I've decided that I want to take martial arts classes just like you two."

"Martial arts classes?"

"That's an awesome resolution," I said, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to learn the best techniques to defend yourself."

"That's not why I want to learn how to fight," Zelda said, "I would like to become a ninja."

"Say what?" I fell to the floor, but for no reason at all. Nick laughed, but I ignored him as I picked myself up. "Why would you wanna become a ninja? You do know that's the most dangerous thing you can do, right?"

"I know, but there have been so many villains popping up from one place to another and for some reason we all seem to be in the midst of the battle. I think it's best that I learn to fight so they won't have the chance to stop me. After all, I think that I'm the main target they're after. Which I have been for the Tigarians because I had a book that contained a map."

"Would it be best if you could stop with the chit chat?" Nick said, "Honestly. That's all girls do is talk, talk, talk."

"Well, Nick, if you don't want to be a part of this conversation, I believe it is best if you just leave," Zelda said.

"Yeah, what Zelda said," I said, grinning like an idiot.

"How can you stand up for her, Lloyd?" Nick asked, "Your my best friend. You would choose a girl over me?"

"No, but you are being rude."

"Well, since neither of you want me here, I guess I'll go watch the timer they have on the news." Nick walked away from us and placed himself at the television.

"I hope we weren't too hard on him," Zelda said, "I have a feeling that I was being rude."

"He'll get over it," I said, "Besides, he forgets about it the next day and starts working on a new invention."

A bell rang from across the room. We looked to see Dareth shaking it, with a big grin on his face. Of all the people to invite to a party, why did we invite him. "Okay, everyone. In about ten minutes, the new year will begin. Get ready for the countdown, everyone."

Miss Allyman, also known as Zelda mother, walked up to the both of us. "Hello, Lloyd. It's always so good to see you. Zelda, once midnight comes around, you and I are heading home, okay?"

"Okay, Mother," Zelda said.

"After all, it wouldn't be a New Year's Eve party without staying up to wait for the New Year to begin." Miss Allyman kissed her daughter and walked away.

I only had ten minutes left. This could finally be my chance to actually talk to Zelda without anymore interruptions. I cleared my throat. "So, Zelda, I was thinking about something."

"Yes, Lloyd?" Zelda said.

Great. I couldn't figure out what to say. This is embarrassing. This was my only chance to talk to Zelda and I was at a lost of words. I sighed. "If you were to ever become a ninja, what kind would you be?"

"Whichever the Great Sensei chooses for me. It wouldn't matter to me. As long as I learn to fight."

"Well, to be honest with you, I never knew that I would actually become a ninja. It was actually destiny that told me I was to become one. Not just any ninja, though. The green ninja. The golden ninja. The second spinjitzu master. You know what I mean."

"You cannot change what destiny has given you. You must keep what you were given."

"Where did you learn all this stuff at?"

"Would you like to know how many books I read per day?"

"I think I'm good." I hesitated, thinking what I should say next. It was time to let out what was meant to be said. "Okay, Zelda. There's something I've been meaning to get off my chest and I think now is the time to say it."

"What is it, Lloyd?"

Before I could say anything, Dareth`s voice rang throughout the room again. "Only thirty more seconds. Come on, everybody. Let's get ready."

"What were you going to say Lloyd?" Zelda asked.

"Nothing," I said, "I'll tell you about it another time. Let's just get ready for the countdown."

Everybody was gathered around the television, looking at the timer keep going down and down. Once it was at ten, everyone started counting. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Happy New Year!" Cheering was heard around the room. The New Year had finally begun.

Zelda and her mother had left soon after the countdown was over. I was sent to bed soon after. I was dressing out of my clothes and was in my pajamas when I saw Zelda walking towards the front door of her house. She looked at me and waved. I waved back. Maybe this night didn't turn out to be like I thought, but at least it was the new year. It would be about making it a better time for everybody. Including myself. I want this to be the best year ever.

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 **THE NEW YEAR IS HERE. HOORAY! WAIT. HOW DID DARETH GET INTO MY STORY? NEVER MIND. HE'S IN IT.**

 **SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE YESTERDAY. I DIDN'T FINISH THIS ON TIME. I HAVE IT NOW, THOUGH.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	3. First Day of The New Semester

CHAPTER 2

FIRST DAY OF THE NEW SEMESTER

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The school year was coming back into session. After two weeks of being out, it's time to start over with everything. A second part means a new beginning. No more playing around. I have to do whatever it takes to talk to Zelda. Plus, I need to do something that people will remember that even I won't forget. I just have a feeling that things will happen in the future that I may become unaware of it. Last night I had a dream, but it was filled with shadows and I didn't get to see the whole thing. I saw myself, but I was older and all I was doing was walking down the street. Suddenly, these other shadows came into view, and I didn't know who or what they were. All I know is that I ignored them and continued walking down the sidewalk. I woke up after that. I knew it had to be a dream. I wouldn't dare ignore villains and just continue with what I was doing. That's just not me.

I got up and started getting ready for school. Sure I lived in the same house with all the teacher's at my uncle's academy and I go to that school, but that doesn't stop my mom from taking me there everyday. It usually is embarrassing when she takes me. Every time I step out of the car, she has to say goodbye to me in front of everybody. The worse thing is that she'll call me honey bunches afterwards. I get snickers and giggles from all the other kids. It was just so embarrassing.

My first steps in front of the school after two weeks felt long and heavy. Somebody threw a wad of paper at me and I got tripped by Gene. I didn't see Brad with him, so he must have been on his own at the moment. I was walking over to the side of the school where I saw Nick sitting at one of the picnic tables, working on some new invention.

I walked over to him. "Hey, Nick."

"Hey, Lloyd," Nick said, "Sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm working on a new invention. This small little device will make the percentage of bullying decrease once this bad boy is completed."

"Speaking of bullies, I haven't seen Brad around since that whole thing with the plays and musicals happened. Ever since Christmas ended, he just disappeared. Nobody has seen him since. I've been seeing Gene around, but Brad wasn't with him. Something weird is going on."

"Lloyd, the best thing to do when you know your regular bully isn't around is to just forget about them. Keep them out of your mind. The sooner their gone, the better off you are."

"I have the right mind to walk up to Gene and ask him what's going on."

"Looks like you don't have to. I just saw Brad come off the school bus."

"The school bus? That's weird. Brad`s never taken the bus before." I looked over the side of the building to keep my eyes on Brad. "Something really weird is going on with him."

Brad walked up to Gene, who had a stern look on his face. Gene grabbed Brad`s collar. "I have the right mind to place you in an electric chair and put some sense into you. Where have you been for the last week and a half? I haven't seen you since Christmas."

"I was staying over at my grandmother's house," Brad said, "My dad's still gone on his archeology trip. My mom had to leave for her business trip."

"You went to stay with your grandmother and you didn't notify me about it. Where does your grandmother live?"

"She lives in Ignacia, but she's staying with me at my house tonight. My mom won't be back until tomorrow."

"Next time you leave like that, you better let me know about it. I have a good mind to knock some sense into you. Don't ever do that again. You hear me?" He lifted Brad off the ground.

"I'm sorry, Gene. It was on such late notice, I didn't have time to tell you. I promise that it will never happen again."

"You better make sure of that." Gene dropped Brad on the ground. "You and I have some unfinished business to attend to. I've got the ultimate prank figured out that will help us get back at Lloyd and that nerd friend of his. Are you in or out?"

Brad sighed. "I'm out."

"What? That's impossible! You've never been out on wanting to get back at Lloyd before. When I have a plan, you're always in."

"I just don't feel like bullying anybody right now."

"Alright, Brad, what's going on with you? This isn't who you are. You're acting like somebody different and I'm not enjoying it for one second. What's going on? Is it because I yelled at you? I promise not to do it again. Just don't make me mad."

"It's not because of that." Brad sighed again. "I don't wanna bully anybody anymore. It's getting old and I'm tired of it. If you wanna play your little prank on Lloyd, go ahead and do so. I'm not gonna be around when it happens. Starting today, I'm not helping you bully anyone else. This is my choice and my choice alone. If you don't like it, then just walk away right now. Tell me you don't wanna be my friend anymore. Tell me that your my life long enemy. Go ahead and tell me. It won't bother me a bit."

"You're making a big mistake, Brad. Your gonna miss everything. I know you will. I just know it." With that, Gene walked away, not looking back at Brad.

I ran back over to Nick as he was finishing up his invention. "Nick, you're not gonna believe what I just heard."

"Just a second, Lloyd," Nick said, "I just finished with my new invention. Let's see how well it works on Brad."

"What I need to tell you is important. Listen to what I have to say."

"I will. Just let me test out my new invention first." Nick placed the device in Brad`s direction, placing it to where his feet were. Nick pressed a button and it automatically made Brad trip into a large puddle of ice water. It was still cold and snowy outside, so it sent shivers down Brad`s back. Not only that, but I think I saw tears in his eyes. Brad shot up and ran off into the school. Nick threw a fist in the air. "Yes! My invention worked! This will definitely decrease the percentage in bullying."

"Why would that guy just do that?" a boy asked.

"I don't know," said some girl, "Brad wasn't doing anything but minding his own business."

"I heard Brad tell Gene that he's given up bullying for good," the other girl said to her friend.

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"What is everybody talking about?" Nick asked, "Did I do something wrong? I just made fun of Brad in front of the whole school. Why didn't everybody think it was funny? They should be laughing."

"If you would've just listen to me for one second, none of that would've happened," I said, "I heard Brad tell Gene that he wasn't gonna bully anybody anymore. He just ended his bullying days."

Nick laughed. "Like I'll ever believe that."

"It's true. I saw the whole thing. They were yelling. Everybody heard them. Did you not hear them yelling and shouting at each other?"

"I was busy finishing up my new invention."

"If you weren't so busy with that stupid thing, you would've heard."

"Why should it matter to me? More importantly, why should it matter to you? You hate Brad just as much as I do."

"I don't know. It just makes me feel like I believed everything he said. I don't really know why it matters to me."

"Listen, Lloyd, I don't believe that Brad is gonna change his ways for one tiny little second. If you ask me, he'll say that one day and be back to his normal self the next. Just wait and see, Lloyd. I'm right. I'm always right."

"You have to believe me, Nick. I heard the whole conversation with my own two ears. Every word is still stuck in my head."

"Stop lying, Lloyd."

"I'm not lying. You've gotta believe me."

Nick scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Nicolas Armegon," my uncle called out from the stairway of the school, "Bring your little device and come straight to my office. You're in a lot of trouble." He walked back inside the school.

Nick sighed. "Even though Brad told on me, I'm still not gonna believe anything you said. If you ask me, he's still plain old Brad."

"Whatever," I said, "I'll see you in class."

"Don't worry, Lloyd. In the future, you'll see that I'm right." Nick disappeared inside the school.

"We'll see about that." I walked back over to the picnic tables and sat down.

I looked to see that Zelda climbed out of her mother's van. Her hair was in its usual pigtails. She was wearing her school uniform. Well, everybody had the same uniform, but what would it matter? Zelda was different when she wore something so beautiful. I had the nerve to want to go up and talk to her, but changed my mind. That can wait for another day. My mind was swirling about the whole Brad thing.

Now I have more questions filling up my mind. Why doesn't Brad want to be his usual self? Is there something going on with him? Is he having problems with somebody other than Gene? Was it just his New Year's resolution? The school bell pushed those thoughts away. A new day had officially started. I ran inside the school. The whole thing about Brad would just have to wait.

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 **WHOA. SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON HERE. DOES LLOYD ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT BRAD WON'T BULLY ANYMORE? PROBABLY. PROBABLY NOT. I GUESS WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL LATER ON.**

 **LOOKS LIKE I WAS ABLE TO PUBLISH TONIGHT. THIS IS MY LAST WEEK TO BE OUT, SO I NEED TO SPEND ALL THE TIME I CAN WITH MY FANFICTIONS. I'M A BIT BUSY BECAUSE OUR HOUSE NEEDS TO BE CLEANED. IT'S KIND OF IN THE NEED OF SOME WINTER CLEANING, EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WINTER AT ALL. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	4. Teacher's Lounge

CHAPTER 3

TEACHER'S LOUNGE

 **COLE'S POV:**

An entire morning of teaching can wear a guy out. I was tired by the time recess came and all the kids were finally going to get some energy out of them. I went to the teacher's lounge where I know that I put an extra chocolate pudding cup in there for myself. Not only do I get tired, but I get real hungry when I'm working and I always seem to work up an appetite. I figured all the other teachers would be here seeing that they all felt the same as me. Tired an hungry. This is pretty much the only break we get. That, and lunch, but I think people understand. Things just felt different today. There was something missing that made this place not seem like itself. Sitting down with my pudding cup and finishing it as quick as I got it, my thoughts were placed on an idea as I threw the empty pudding cup away.

"I think I know why today is different than any other day," I said.

"You mean other than the fact that you started talking and ruined the silence for everyone here," Jay said.

"No, not that. I'm pretty sure nobody wanted it quiet in here, anyway. Something just feels different today. My class was just... unusually quiet."

"Unusually quiet?" Kai asked, "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"It would be if I could only think about why it was," I said.

"How we're the students?" Zane asked.

"They weren't doing anything bad," I said, "They were just sitting there not saying a word. They weren't messing around with each other or throwing papered airplanes or anything. They were just... working. I don't know if it somebody's controlling their minds or what, but it started creeping me out by the time recess came along. I'm just not used to my class being so quiet."

"That same thing happened to me today," Kai said, "It was all silence. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I was the same way," Zane said.

"If you ask me, I think the children have finally learned their lesson," Jay said, "It's important to stay silent than it is to get out of control. It makes it a lot easier on my life. Plus, I don't have to worry about any of my students hurting each other."

"You seem to be the only one that enjoys the silence, Jay," Sensei Wu said, "You will be watching over the students in detention after school today."

"What? Why?"

"Because I wanted to. Also, Nick is in detention for the week. I will need someone to stay behind to keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get himself into more trouble than he already is."

"Looks like Kitty's gonna be angry with him tonight," Kai said, "Trust me, you do not wanna get on Kitty's bad side."

"What did he do this time?" Jay asked.

"He made some kind of device that placed Brad in an icy puddle of water," Sensei Wu said, "Luckily, I had a change of clothes for Brad. I have the little device that Nick used and he won't get it back. I will not tolerate bullying."

"Wait a second," Kai said, "Brad told on somebody?"

"It is rather confusing," Zane said.

"Yeah," Jay said, "If anything, people are always getting Brad in trouble. Brad would never try to get anyone else in trouble unless he just wanted to prank him."

"I saw the whole thing, though," Sensei said, "Nick used a device to make Brad fall. Brad wasn't doing anything to anybody. That there is the truth."

"That's impossible," I said, "Brad`s always doing something to get himself in trouble, but I will admit that he is acting rather strange. He was just like everyone else in my class. Silent and working."

"I've heard that he no longer wants to be a bully."

"Brad`s given up bullying for good?" Kai asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Are you crazy?" Jay asked furiously, "Brad will never give up his ways. If you ask me, he's just plain old Brad."

"I do not think I can believe that, Sensei," Zane said.

"Yeah," I said, "What if it's just a test?"

"It is not a test," Sensei said, "Brad has changed his ways. When I was talking to him in my office this morning, he sounded serious. I was thinking about calling his parents to make sure, but he said his grandmother was taking care of him until his mother returned from her business trip. I wasn't sure if I could believe that, but I did. Now we shall wait until they tell us."

"I still don't think I can believe it," Jay said, "The part about Brad wanting to change is a lie. Plus the part about Brad saying that his parents were gone on a business trip is a lie, too. Did he tell you when they left?"

"He did not say."

"He didn't say when they were coming back, either?"

"No, I didn't ask him. It was none of my business."

"Maybe we should set up a time and date for all of us to have a talk with Brad," I said, "We could invite his parents over and figure out what's going on. I think we should just make sure that everything's okay with Brad."

"I can agree with that," Jay said.

"It will not get you out of watching over detention," Sensei said.

Jay sighed. "I know."

"I think it's a good idea, too," Kai said.

"If you all are concerned, I shall be concerned as well," Zane said, "I am in."

"Good," Sensei said, "Now there's just one more person to ask."

"Sensei, let's just leave my sister out of this," Kai said, "After all, I don't think she wants to spend any of her spare time at some boring meeting."

"This is something that all teachers need to take a part of. Go and fetch your sister, Kai. We need to have a talk."

As if on cue, Nya entered the teacher's lounge, a huge smile on her face. "Guys, you'll never believe who I just got off the phone with."

"Allow me to say what I need to say first, Nya," Sensei said, "Mine is more important."

"What is it?"

"We need you to join us in a meeting. It's about... Brad Tudaphone."

"Brad Tudaphone? I don't think so. I've already heard enough rumors about him today in my class. Everybody says that he ended his evil ways."

"He has. You have no choice, though. You must take part in the meeting."

"Is there a reason why I should?"

"It involves every teacher in this school. You must participate. It is a requirement."

"I don't get it. Throughout every Christmas thing that we had, Brad was always figuring out a way to ruin it. Why is he changing so suddenly in the blink of an eye?"

"I don't know, but if you're not a part of it, then you don't get to say what you were about to say."

"Okay, fine. I'll join this stupid meeting, but I won't like it."

"Thank you for cooperating."

"So who did you just get off the phone with, sis?" Kai asked.

"Oh, yeah," Nya said, "I just got off the phone with the one and only owner of the World History Museum in Chitow City, Clutch Powers."

"Clutch Powers?" I said, "The Clutch Powers? The greatest archeologist that's discovered more than thousands of worldly treasures in the world and placed them inside one museum along with many other great discoveries and creations in this world by other great scientists and historians? The one and only Clutch Powers?"

"The one and only."

I placed my hands on Nya`s shoulders. "You gotta tell me why he called."

"You might wanna get you hands off my shoulders before my boyfriend comes walking in here."

I chuckled, removing my hands from Nya`s shoulders. "Sorry about that."

"Anyway, Clutch Powers called and invited us to bring the whole academy over to the museum for a three day field trip. We will have our very own private tour and everybody will get to sleep inside the museum housing."

"What about the cost?" Sensei Wu asked.

"He said that all expenses will be paid if we agree to come," Nya said, "What do you all say? Can we do it?"

"Come on, Sensei," I said, "You gotta say yes."

"It is settled," Sensei said, "We will go on this field trip at the end of next month. Call Clutch Powers back and explain everything to him. We are going on our first overnight field trip."

All the worries I had about my students throughout the day were gone. Once Nya said that we were meeting the Clutch Powers, happiness just spread all over me. Nothing could ruin my good mood. Nothing at all. Not even the quietness of my students. Not even the silence that Brad Tudaphone was giving. Nothing at all.

* * *

 **WOW. THIS CLUTCH POWERS GUY MUST BE A PRETTY BIG IDOL TO COLE. IT WOULDN'T MATTER. I'M SURE COLE WANTS TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF AN ARCHEOLOGIST.**

 **WELL, I HAVE POSTED AGAIN. AS USUAL. THERE'S REALLY NOT MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. BUT I DO WANNA THANK MY ONE AND ONLY REVIEWER SO FAR. The Mayor of Ninjago City. YOU ARE SO AWESOME. I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T REVIEWED YOUR CURRENT STORY. I HAVE READ IT, BUT HAVE NOT REVIEWED YET. THE NEXT UPDATE YOU HAVE I WILL REVIEW ON. THAT'S A PROMISE.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	5. Sensei Wus Talk With Brad

CHAPTER 4

SENSEI WU`S TALK WITH BRAD

 **SENSEI WU:**

A lot has been going on throughout the month. The word about Brad and his trouble making ways. Since I've heard about Brad changing his ways, Gene has been causing even more problems than ever before. Just a week ago, Gene was given a month of detention after destroying the entire auditorium while we had a guest speaker giving a speech for the academy. I can't imagine what was worse. It was either that or adding something in the chicken that made it explode in everyone's faces, causing a food fight to erupt. With Gene causing all the trouble, this made me feel even more worried for Brad. Even after everything he's done, I still feel as though there's something going on. I wasn't sure why he ended his bullying way, but I'm gonna get to the bottom of his.

I called for Brad to come into my office. There's been some strange things going on. Plus, I need to tell him about the meeting that we plan to have about him and also to let him know that his parents need to arrive to it at the end of next week. I have a feeling that there's something going on with Brad, but I can't seem to figure out what.

Brad finally came into my office a few minutes later, a worried expression on his face. He hasn't been called into the office for nearly a month now. Why would he be worried? When he was bad, he didn't mind being called every five minutes. Now he was scared to even set foot in here. Was it me? Is it the fact that he has changed?

Brad sat in the chair across from me, looking me in the eyes. "Good morning, Headmaster Wu. It's always great to see you. Do you mind if we can make this quick? Mr. Cole is giving out a math test in a few minutes."

"I'm sure he can let you make it up," I said, looking a the young boy with a straight face, "I'm pretty sure you know why you're in here."

"I haven't done anything wrong, Headmaster Wu. I'm being honest. Everybody already knows that I've given up my evil ways. Even Gene knows. I've lost the only friend I've had for so long."

"Well, you've already confessed to that, so there's no reason to discuss it. I was talking about something else."

"Well, that's all I knew. What else are you talking about? I haven't heard the teachers say anything about me."

"I suppose you weren't sneaking around like you usually do. Allow me to go ahead and tell you. The teachers and I have arranged a meeting for you and your parents at the end of next week. We've decided to do it during recess. I would like for you to give this to your parents tonight. I would like it signed and placed in my hands tomorrow."

"Headmaster Wu, my father won't be able to attend and I have a reason why. He's on his yearly archeology trip in the north of Ninjago and he won't be back until next month."

"Well, it's not a requirement that both parents should be there. Perhaps your mother will be happy to join us."

"She would be, but she won't be able to attend, either. She has to go on a business trip that weekend."

I sighed. "Is there anybody that you stay with that can come to the meeting?"

"My grandmother could, but she can't drive. Her driver's license was taken away."

"Can you not take the bus?"

"We don't live near a bus station. Plus, we're trying to save up our money and we don't have any spare bus tokens. It would be difficult to walk because my grandmother's legs aren't how they used to be."

I stood up from my desk and placed my hand on Brad`s shoulder. "Brad, is everything alright at home?"

"What do you mean by that? Everything's fine at home. My father is just gone a little bit longer than usual and my mother has to go on a few extra business trips this year."

"Does your grandmother live with you?"

"No, but she lives in the neighborhood."

"I just wanted to make sure." I sat back down at my desk. "Would your mother be interested in joining us this Friday?"

"She has to work this Friday."

"Could she cone during or lunch break or take the day off?"

"She has to work during her lunch break. She can't take any days off because she has to use them for her business trips."

"Her business trips? Isn't that also included to be a job day?"

"I'm really not sure, but she won't be able to come. Not this week or the next week or the week after that."

"I suppose we can delay the meeting until March." I placed the meeting notice back in my drawer. "Brad, are you planning to attend the World History Museum field trip with us?"

"I don't think I'll be able to."

"Why is that?"

"My grandmother is having surgery the week before, so I have to stay home and help take care of her. It's a personal family thing."

"I see." I stood up again. "I'm keeping my eyes on you, Brad."

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything wrong."

"You haven't done anything wrong, but I fear that everything that you just told me is a lie. I fear that something is going on in your life at this very moment and you're not telling anyone about it. Is your mother even home right now?"

"Not at the moment. She's at work."

"Is she free at the moment? I would like to give her a call."

"She doesn't have her cell phone turned on right now. She can get busy on certain days."

"I see. Perhaps you wouldn't mind giving me her work number."

"I don't know her work number. She never gave it to me. She's never even wrote it down."

"I see. Well, I suppose you won't mind me leaving a message on her voicemail. If she doesn't answer by tomorrow, I'm calling you back in here. I will do my best to figure out if everything you just told me was all a lie."

"None of it was a lie, Headmaster Wu. I promise you."

"I see. Alright then. I will let you watch me leave a message on her cell phone." I picked up the desk phone and dial the number. It continued ringing until I heard it say to leave a message. I did the exact thing. "Hello, Mrs. Tudaphone. This is Headmaster Wu, Brad`s principal. I was just calling to see if we could set up a meeting to talk about your son. He's in no trouble, but it would be nice if we could have a little chat together. Please call me back when you get the chance. Goodbye." I hung up the phone, placing my eyes on Brad. "The message has been sent. Now all we need to do is wait for a returning call. I hope she can return a call."

"There are some afternoons when-"

"That's enough, Brad. I don't need to hear anything else. Just make sure your mother calls me back. If she doesn't, you will be called back into my office. Understood?"

"Understood, Headmaster Wu."

"Then it is settled. I hope you can keep that promise. If you have changed your ways, you can keep promises, can't you?"

"Of course."

"Alright then. I hope I can trust you. Why don't we talk a little bit more?"

"Actually, Headmaster Wu, I really need to head back to class. Mr. Cole's about to give out his math test."

"You can make it up during recess. I'm sure he won't mind. After all, I think it's best if you stay inside today."

"I haven't done anything wrong."

"I know, but it's for the best."

"Please, Headmaster Wu, let me explain something."

"Is it about things at home?"

"No, not that. It's something else. Do you mind if I could explain?"

I sighed. "I suppose you can. Go ahead, Brad."

"There's a reason why I've changed my ways. I was so tired of people feeling like they were afraid of me. Every time I would walk into their path, they'd run away. I've tried countless times to get away from Gene, but nothing ever worked. When Gene was around me, everybody got scared. I was so tired of it that I had to do something about it. So I wrote myself a treaty, signed my own signature on it and placed a thumb print on it so when people took a DNA sample, they would know that I made the treaty. I wrote down that I would never be evil again and go in the path of good. I also wrote down that I would never be friends or go near Gene ever again. No matter how many times he picked on me, bullied me or anything else. That's a promise I could keep."

"I suppose that's a logical explanation. It seems that you didn't make it a resolution after all."

"Do you mind if I could go back to class now, Headmaster Wu? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in here. It's like I'm afraid to get in trouble."

I sighed. "I suppose. You are free to go."

"Thanks, Headmaster Wu." Brad jumped out of the chair and ran out of my office.

I leaned back in my chair, looking at the desk phone that sat so close to me. I just had the feeling that Brad wasn't being truthful to me. I placed my eyes on the teapot to distract myself, but it didn't help. My eyes kept looking in the direction of the phone. It seems I could no longer take the decision. I picked up the phone and dialed the number that I shouldn't have. It wasn't like I had any other choice.

* * *

 **THIS IS GETTING A BIT INTENSE. THERE'S SO MUCH SUSPENSE THAT ITS LEAVING YOU RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT.**

 **I WONDER WHAT'S GOING ON WITH BRAD. IS HE LYING? IS HE BEING TRUTHFUL? WHO DID WU JUST CALL ON THE PHONE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER? SO MANY QUESTIONS, BUT ONLY ONE ANSWER.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	6. Preparations

CHAPTER 5

PREPARATIONS

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

When I heard about the overnight field trip to the World History Museum, I was excited. Four days and two nights touring around one of the greatest museums in the world. It's just so awesome. I've been hearing rumors that if Gene does one more bad thing, he won't be allowed to come on the trip with us. I wouldn't blame them. I wouldn't wanna spend four days with Gene. Not for a lifetime. I also heard something else, but it came from my cousin, Monica. She told me that Brad was planning not to go because he had to help take care of his grandmother after some kind of surgery she was getting. Some people say they don't believe it. I might believe it, but I'm not sure if Brad is being truthful or not. I heard him get called to my uncle's office and everybody said that he told Uncle Wu nothing but lies. Nothing was the truth.

Although, my cousin was the one to tell me all that, so I'm not sure if I can believe her. How can I even think about all that when I have a massive amount of homework to do? Mom says if I don't do every single bit of my homework, I won't be allowed to go on any field trips. This is my ticket to going, so I better start hitting the books. My door creaked open, revealing Nick coming inside with a clipboard in his hand.

I sighed, putting my pencil down. "Is there something in particular that you need, Nick?"

"Since you and I are going on the overnight field trip together, we need to make some preparations," Nick explained.

"I already know what I need to pack. Toothbrush, pajamas, contact information and other stuff. What more could I possibly need?"

"That's not the preparation I was talking about. You need to help me to make sure these certain individuals are not welcomed to attend the field trip with us."

"Are you out of your mind, Nick? We can't uninvite anybody to the field trip. If they deserve to go, they deserve to go."

"Not these people that I just wrote down. Here."

Nick handed me the list with only four people on it. "Wesley Clark, Ryan Peters, Randall Johnson and Greg Mason. I've never even heard of these guys before. Why should I be interested in helping you make sure they don't go on the field trip with us?"

"I can't stand these guys, Lloyd. They always pick on me in class, they try to partner up with me because I'm the intelligent one and they always trip me in the hallway. How do you think my glasses got broke during the first week of school?"

"Why do you want me to help you get make sure these four guys that pick on you don't go on the field trip? If you wanna make sure they don't go, you can do it yourself. I'm not up to the task."

"You will be once you see the names I wrote down on the second page."

I turned the page to see the names I've known all my life. "Brad and Gene!"

"Yep. These two. I want them as far away from that field trip as possible."

"Okay, I can understand why you wanna get rid of Gene and I don't wanna beg or anything, but can't you just give Brad a chance?"

"Give Brad a chance? Why should I?"

"Come on. He hasn't done anything bad all month. That's actually a new record for him. There was a time when he and Gene had a bet back when I went to Darkley`s and Brad Andy allowed to do anything bad for one week. He did it, though, but he didn't enjoy it."

"So it's only a matter of time before he goes back to his old ways."

"I've been hearing rumors that Brad gave my uncle a long speech about why he doesn't wanna bully people anymore. I heard my uncle talking about it downstairs. Trust me. He never lies."

"I bet your uncle is just telling stories. I usually think that some of the things that I'm taught are just silly made up stories."

"I actually believe the things that my uncle says. He wouldn't lie hen he says that Brad told him all that stuff. For goodness sakes, Brad was called into his office. There's no way you can say that he didn't because he did. We all heard him call Brad`s name."

"I know that, Lloyd, but we don't know for sure if Brad told your uncle all those things. The door was closed, everybody was in class and they all started to make up silly rumors. People do it all the time. Especially girls."

"Come on, Nick, just listen to me."

"Let's just stop talking about Brad and go over these preparations before my sister finds me in here. I'm grounded, so I'm really suppose to be in my room. Come on. Help me out here."

"You know what. Forget it. I don't wanna help you with any of that stuff. Just go and make the preparations yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't wanna be a part of your scheme to get rid of all your bullies. That's how you got yourself into detention. If you wanna make sure they don't go on the field trip, you can do it yourself. I don't want any part in it."

"Come on, Lloyd, oh always help me with my schemes. Why do you not wanna help me now?"

"Because I'm tired of making people look bad. I'm tired of helping you do your dirty work. If you want something done, go and do it yourself."

"What's gotten into you, Lloyd? Is everything okay?" Nick placed his hand on my forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

"Get your hands off my head. Look, all I wanna do is get my homework done so I can spend the rest of the afternoon doing nothing else. Just leave me alone."

Nick sighed. "Well, Lloyd, I don't know what's going on with you, but I hope you get over it soon. I think that starting today, you're always gonna be a friend in the sidelines."

"Would you just get out of here?"

"Nick, why are you not in your room?" Kitty called out.

"Sorry, Lloyd," Nick said, "I gotta go."

Finally, some peace and quiet. I could really use some. Nick was really starting to get on my last nerves. I thought I was alone for once, but the door to my room opened. I turned around to see that it was only my mother, a smile spread across her face.

"I thought I'd come in here and check up on you," Mom said, "I heard that Nick was in your room to escape the wrath of his sister."

"I'm fine," I said, "Except for the fact that Nick is really becoming a pain in the neck." I threw my pencil on the desk.

Mom walked in and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

"Not really. A lot of things have been going on at school lately. Do you remember Brad Tudaphone?"

"You mean the boy that you went to Darkley`s with that became your friend but is now your enemy?"

"Yep. That's the same Brad. He hasn't been himself, though. Something happened between him and Gene and now their not friends anymore. For the past month, Brad hasn't done anything bad and everyone's starting to get suspicious. Even the teachers. He was called into uncle's office and everybody started saying that what he told Wu was a lie, but nobody knows what Brad said in there."

"Has he told anybody else what's going on?"

"No, because he doesn't have anymore friends. Gene was the only friend that he had."

"Don't you think that deep down inside you might still be Brad`s friend. Just think about it. You've been worried and wondering about him for the past month and you haven't done anything about it. I think the best thing you can do is talk to him about what's really going on. That way you'll know the truth and he won't be afraid to tell anybody about it."

"You're right, Mom."

"Aren't I always right?"

"Well, you are an archeologist."

"That's right and don't you forget it. Now it's time for me to do what I really came up here for. What kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"

"Aw, man. I forgot my birthday was next week. How can a kid like me forget about his own birthday. Speaking of which, how old will I be?"

"Well, you were ten before you turned fifteen, so I would say that you'll be eleven and sixteen at the same time."

"Good enough for me. About the cake, though. You might wanna get it the day of my birthday so Cole doesn't get any ideas. Speaking of the flavor, chocolate sounds alright to me."

"I'll make sure to get it for you." Mom kissed my cheek.

"Mom, I thought we talked about that."

"I couldn't help myself. Finish with your homework, dear. Dinner`s almost ready."

Good to know that I finished the last question on my homework the moment she walked out. I put everything away in my backpack and plopped myself on my bed, taking out one of my latest issues of Captain Gladiator. He's much better than Fritz Donogan. As long as Jay doesn't know about that, I'm good to go. I just couldn't concentrate, though. I just can't seem to stop thinking about the whole Brad situation. I suddenly made up my mind and decided to help the guy out. After all, in a situation like this, everybody needed a friend.

* * *

 **AWESOME! LLOYD'S BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP. ITS JUST A FEW CHAPTERS AWAY.**

 **SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY GOING ON WITH BRAD AND LLOYD IS REALLY CONCERNED. THEY MAY BE ENEMIES, BUT IN THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS, EVERYBODY NEEDS A FRIEND. BROS HELP BROS. ALWAYS.**

 **DID YOU SEE HOW I MADE UP A NEW COMIC BOOK CHARACTER? LLOYD SAYS THAT CAPTAIN GLADIATOR IS BETTER THAN FRITZ DONOGAN. JUST DON'T TELL JAY THAT LLOYD SAID THAT.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	7. The Truth About Brad

CHAPTER 6

THE TRUTH ABOUT BRAD

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

Another day of school has finally come. I was sitting in the backseat of my mother's car, looking out the window. First off, I had to talk to Brad. Help him out with whatever problem is going on. When we got to the school, I saw a mysterious woman dressed in business like clothes and removing herself out of her luxury car, entering the front doors of the school. I suppose she was here to give us a speech or something about her career, but then another thought came into my head. What if she was someone that was helping my uncle with Brad? Who was she, anyway? My mother stopped the car in front of the school. I hesitated getting out of the car. I wasn't sure if I could even stand to be outside. Mom looked at me in the backseat.

"Is there a reason why you don't wanna get out of the car, Lloyd?" Mom asked.

"No reason at all, Mom," I said, "I just got distracted by my thoughts."

"Lloyd, there's no reason in turning your back on Brad. He needs help and your the only one that seems to be concerned. It's best to just walk out of this car and find Brad so the two of you can talk. Remember the riddle. What is the best way to defeat your enemy? There's only one answer. To make them your friend."

I sighed. "Alright, Mom. I'm gonna go and do it."

"I'm sure you will. Let me rephrase that. I know you will. Now have a good day, sweetheart."

I got out of the car, waving my mother goodbye. I walked around the school yard in search of Brad. I looked to see Nick sitting at one of the picnic tables, working on a new invention of some sort. I decided to forget about what he was doing and continue searching for Brad. I felt as though he didn't come to school today because I couldn't find him anywhere. I was finally able to find him when he was walking himself to school. That's funny. Brad usually had a ride. Why would he walk all the way here? Forgetting about it, I ran up to him.

"Brad, there you are," I said, "I've been looking for you. We need to talk."

"Why would you wanna talk to me?" Brad asked, "You're my enemy, remember? Besides, I don't wanna talk to anybody right now. I'm in a bad mood."

"I know what you're going through. You've got something on your mind that's been eating you up and you don't wanna talk about it. Whatever's going on may be bad and you're scared to tell anyone because your worried something's gonna happen to you. You don't have to worry about anything, Brad. I'm here and I'll be your friend throughout this tough time."

"I'm not going through anything, Lloyd. I'm fine. I don't need friends."

"In a tough situation like this, you do. I know something's going on with you, but you don't wanna say what it is. I've been hearing that you've given up your evil ways for good, but you haven't given up your attitude. I wanna know what's really going on."

"It's none of your business, Lloyd. Just go away and leave me alone."

"I'm not going anywhere, Brad. I'm gonna stay here until you at least tell me if everything you told my uncle yesterday was a lie or not. I wanna know what's really going on. You need a friend in this situation and I'm gonna be that friend since nobody else seems to want to. If anything, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Brad turned around and sighed. He didn't look at me when he spoke. "Alright, I'll tell you. Everything I told your uncle was a lie. I couldn't tell him the truth because I didn't want anything to happen to me. Before I left his office yesterday, he called my mother's cell phone, but she won't answer it and there's a reason why. I can't say why. I just can't."

"You at least have to tell my uncle. If you won't tell me, then you have to tell him. You can't keep whatever you have a secret forever. If it's as bad as you say it is, you have to tell somebody. It can't be kept inside."

Brad sighed. "Alright, I'll do it, but can you do me a favor?"

"Sure thing, Brad. What do you need?"

"You say that a person needs a friend in this situation. I was wondering if you could be that friend. I don't think I can do this alone."

"I already told you that I would be that friend, and I'm not gonna back down. I'm gonna be there every step of the way. You can trust me."

"Thanks, Lloyd. You're a really good friend."

"Brad Tudaphone, I need to see you in my office," Sensei Wu said.

"Cone on, Lloyd," Brad said, "If anybody should know what's going on, it's you."

"I'm right behind you," I said, following Brad into the school.

It was only a few minutes later when we walked into my uncle's office. Brad took some deep breaths and an d opened the door, walking in slowly as I continued to follow. I saw my uncle sitting at his desk. The same woman that I saw walking out of her car was sitting in a chair next to the desk. She had a briefcase sitting on the floor next to her. Brad sat in the chair opposite from my uncle. I stood next to the door.

My uncle gave me a look. "Are you allowed to be in here, Lloyd?"

"Brad said that he wanted me to be here, Headmaster Wu," I said, "I was able to talk him into it."

"Alright then. Take a seat over there."

A chair stood on the opposite wall from the lady that was in here. I took a seat as commanded. Brad looked at me, but I only nodded. He nodded back.

Uncle stood up from his desk. "We made a deal yesterday, Brad, but you did not keep your promise."

"I know, Headmaster Wu," Brad said, "I lied to you about everything yesterday."

"That's what I thought. I supposed you are wondering you this is." Uncle motioned at the woman sitting in the chair as he sat back down at his desk.

"I was, actually."

"Allow me to introduce myself, Brad," the woman said with a smile, "My name is Cynthia Gooderson and I'm the president of the NCFCA."

"I've never heard of the NCFCA before," Brad said, "What is it and what does that even mean?"

"All in good time, Brad. Headmaster Wu contacted me yesterday and explained to me that something is going on. Do you care to explain?"

"You told me that your mother would call back, but she never did," uncle said.

"She won't be able to ever call anyone back again," Brad said.

"Is there something you need to tell us, Brad?" Mrs. Gooderson asked, "You don't need to be afraid. We're only here to help you."

Brad started crying. "My parents have been missing since New Years Eve."

"Since New Years Eve? How come you've waited so long to tell somebody about this?"

"Because I was hoping my parents would come back, but they still haven't said anything. I went to go spend the night at my grandmother's retirement home and when I got back, they weren't home. I went back to the retirement home and I stayed with my grandmother until school started back. One of the nurses started to get suspicious and I couldn't go back anymore."

"Does your grandmother know that your parents are missing?"

"She does, but I told her not to tell anyone or call anyone for that matter."

"Brad, if it something as serious as this, you have to tell somebody."

"I was hoping my parents would come back. Now all the bills are overdue and I've been staying at my neighbors house for the past two weeks. I don't know where else to go or what else to do. I don't have anybody."

"I think it's time to tell you what the NCFCA is. It stands for Ninjago City Foster Care Agency. I don't like to say this, but I have no choice. I'm afraid I have to put you under foster care, Brad."

"Foster care? No, please. Anything but that." Brad sobbing was louder than before.

Uncle sighed. "If you wouldn't mind, Mrs. Gooderson, I would be happy to take Brad home with me."

"With you?" Mrs. Gooderson asked, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"It's only temporary until his parents are found."

"What if nobody can find them?"

"Then it is for the best that Brad is placed in a foster home."

"Alright, it's settled. I'll be back soon to check up on him. Goodbye." She left the office.

Uncle stood from his desk. "You both may go to class now."

We both walked out of my uncle's office. Students lined up around the halls. I made my way towards Kai`s class, but I looked back at Brad. His face was covered in the one thing I haven't seen from him in a while. A smile. A big grin on his face. He knew that everything would be okay. Things would turn out well. At least in the end. The future holds many things. Hopefully it'll give Brad a normal life again. At this point, we all need it.

* * *

 **THAT'S ALL YOU REALLY NEED IS A FRIEND. I'M SURE SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN SHREK AND YOU HEAR DONKEY SING THIS LITTLE LINE AT THE BEGINNING SAYING THAT "YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS." I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT PART WAS FUNNY. REALLY, REALLY FUNNY.**

 **ANYWAY, THIS IS THE NEW UPDATE. YEP. LLOYD WAS IN THE OFFICE WITH BRAD AND HEARD EVERYTHING. LOOKS LIKE SENSEI WU MADE A DEAL WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE NCFCA. IF IT WASN'T FOR WU, BRAD MAY ALREADY BE IN A FOSTER HOME BY NOW. I KNOW THAT THE NINJA WILL DO ANYTHING TO HELP BRAD GET HIS PARENTS BACK. THE ONLY THING BRAD NEEDS TO DO IS GAIN THEIR TRUST.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY READING THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	8. Brad Moves In

CHAPTER 7

BRAD MOVES IN

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The rest of the day turned out normal except that I wasn't given any homework, which is okay with me. By the time I got home, I changed into my regular clothes and started watching television. I didn't put on my shoes because I was tired of wearing the ones I had earlier. I was watching a rerun of Captain Gladiator, ignoring everyone that passed by the couch. When the show was almost over, a knock came to the door. Seeing that nobody else was going to get the door, I turned off the television and went to get it myself. When I opened it, I was surprised to see who it was. I looked to see Brad standing in the doorway, suitcases in his hands and all around him. Now that I think about it, I had almost forgotten about being in the office with Brad as he told my uncle and Mrs. Gooderson that his parents had been missing since New Years Eve. Uncle had said that he could move in with us until we could find his parents.

"Hey, Brad," I said, "Good to see you. I almost forgot that you were coming over. Is there somebody here that you need to see?"

"Your uncle said I needed to see him," Brad said, "He said there were a few things he wanted to talk to me about before I officially moved in."

"What could somebody possibly need to talk to you about? Does he need to explain the rules? If anything, you're gonna follow all of them."

"He doesn't wanna talk to me about the rules. He made another deal with that foster care agency lady. He wanted me to know about it before I started unpacking. It's probably gonna be how long I'm gonna stay here if they can't find my parents in time."

"Don't worry, Brad. If I know the ninja, we'll do whatever we can to find your parents. We're gonna make sure that you're never put into foster care."

"Hey, Lloyd," Nick called, "Who are you talking to down there?" Once Nick was downstairs, his eyes widened when he saw Brad standing next to me in the living room. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey, Nick," Brad said, "Good to see you. It's been a while."

"You know, it's always good to not see you. Also, I asked You a question. Why are you here?"

"I'll explain everything to you later. Right now I need to go talk to Headmaster Wu. I'll see you two at dinner."

"Dinner?" Nick looked at Brad climbing up the stairs. He looked at me with anger in his eyes. "He's joining us for dinner. Who said he was joining us for dinner?"

"My uncle told him that he could," I said.

"How did you know that? Alright, Lloyd, I wanna know what's going on with Brad."

"You didn't seem to wanna know anything when you kept telling me that Brad hasn't changed his ways. Why should I tell you anything now?"

"I'm never gonna believe that Brad has changed his ways because he hasn't. I just wanna know what's going on."

"Brad`s parents have been missing since New Years Eve. He hasn't told anybody about it until now. He's been having to stay at his neighbors place for the last two weeks because the bills are overdue. Now some lady from the Ninjago City Foster Care Agency knows about it and says that Brad needs to be placed in a foster home, but my uncle said that he can stay with us for the time being. It's only until we can find his parents. It's not permanent or anything, so there's nothing to worry about. He's only staying here for a while."

"I don't think you're answering my question, Lloyd. You just saw our mortal enemy walk up the stairs of our home. The home of the ninja." Nick covered his mouth with his hands. "I don't think I should've said that."

"Don't worry. Brad already knows that I'm a ninja. There's no reason to keep it secretive from him."

"This is ridiculous. I can't live in the same house with an enemy. You have to because you don't have a choice. If Brad`s moving in, then I'm moving out."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"My mom lives ten minutes away from here. I'm sure my sister wouldn't mind driving me all the way back over there. If ever you wanna get away from Brad, you can come visit me as much as you want."

"Did I just hear what I think I just heard?" Nick turned around to see his sister Kitty standing behind him.

"Oh, hey, sis," Nick said.

"Don't try and play games with me, Nick. I heard what you just said. Just because there's somebody you can't stand to be around with at school, doesn't mean that you can't live with them at home. Brad doesn't have anywhere else to go and you need to learn how to understand that. Sensei Wu is doing the right thing by letting him stay with us for a while. I'm sure you can live under the same roof with him for that long. There's no reason for you to pack up all your things and make me drive you all the way back to Mother's house. That's just not gonna happen."

"Kitty, you don't understand. Brad is not who you think he is."

"You're staying here and that's final. No more arguing with me about it. You know, I'm not afraid to punish you."

Nick sighed. "Alright, I'll stop arguing."

"Thank you. Now don't let me hear that come out of your mouth again." Kitty walked back into the kitchen."

Nick plopped himself on the couch. "I thought Kitty's strong sense was from her nose. Now I see that it's from her ears."

"I heard that," Kitty called from the kitchen.

Nick grabbed my arm and took me upstairs to his bedroom. He shut the door tight. "I can't take this anymore. Living inside a house full of ninjas is difficult. I figured out a new plan. Since I can't move out, then I'm just staying in my room until Brad`s gone."

"You can't do that. You'll have to come downstairs eventually."

"No, I won't. I've made my decision. I'm older enough to make my own decision."

"First of all, you're eleven. Second of all, you can't stay up here and miss everything. What about my birthday? You promised that you would be there to celebrate with everyone else."

"I'll still be at your birthday. On one condition."

"I hate it when you say that. What is it?"

"You need to make sure that Brad isn't anywhere near your birthday celebration."

"What? I can't do that. Brad`s living under the sane roof with us. If anything, he's allowed to come to whatever gatherings we have."

"Not in my book. I know the real reason why you can't uninvite him. It's because your parents won't let you. You know, sometimes you just have to disobey your parents."

"I can't disobey my parents. That would be know as evil, and I'm not evil."

"I'm not gonna be there if Brad is. I'm giving you a choice, Lloyd. You can either make sure that Brad doesn't step foot in the living room during your birthday, or I won't come. What's it gonna be, Lloyd? Are you gonna choose Brad over your best friend?"

I hesitated. "Well, I... I mean I don't wanna hurt Brad`s feelings, but I want you there, too."

"You can't have Brad and I in the same place, Lloyd."

"Why is it that you can't just stay in the same room with Brad for one day? Just one day, Nick. That would be the greatest birthday present I would want."

"It's not gonna happen, Lloyd."

"Well, it's my birthday and I can invite anybody I want. You can't tell me who I can and can't invite."

"I'm giving you one last chance. You can either have me or Brad there. It's you decision. Who do you want there?"

"I don't know. I can't choose. Not between the two of you."

"I'm waiting."

"I'm not choosing."

"You're on thin ice, Lloyd. Make a choice."

"You know what, Nick? If you don't wanna come to my birthday celebration, that's fine with me, but I'm not uninviting Brad."

Nick walked to his bedroom door and opened it. "Looks like you made your choice. As of now, you are known as an acquaintance. I think it's best if you leave."

"An acquaintance? I thought we were known as best friends. You're making me your acquaintance because I won't do what you say?"

"That's right."

"Fine, I'll leave. Don't expect me to set foot in this room again."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I walked out of the room. Nick slammed the door in my face. I can't believe this. If I keep this up, I may lose my only best friend. You know what? Who cares? Who cares about what Nick wants? I'm free to make whatever decisions I want and if Nick can't understand that, so be it. I walked back to my room and closed myself in. Some day this turned out to be.

* * *

 **WHOA. LLOYD UNINVITED NICK TO HIS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. THIS IS STARTING TO GET INTENSE.**

 **I PRETTY MUCH DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY. NOTHING EXCITING HAS HAPPENED. I WILL SAY THAT I PLAN TO UPDATE A CHAPTER OF NINJAGO APOCALYPSE TOMORROW NIGHT. A NEW CHAPTER FOR THAT STORY WILL BE POSTED EVERY SUNDAY. WELL, THAT'S ALL I GOTTA SAY.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	9. The Middle of the Night

CHAPTER 8

THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I was in the middle of an alley. Shadows. Shadows. Shadows. So many of them. Their all around me. I don't look normal. I don't feel quite like myself. I've turned into a shadow. I can't even see my face, but I can see my image. I look taller than my usual self. That's it. I must be older. If I'm older, than why am I a shadow? Why can't I just see myself? I saw myself in my last dream. How do I remember my last dream? Why am I even having these dreams? Why am I even talking about these dreams? I wanted them to end. I imagined darkness, but it wouldn't show up. That's when I just decided to open my eyes. I sat up, but I wasn't on my bed. Instead, I was on the floor with my comforator surrounding me. I squirmed out of the blanket and stood up.

I went downstairs and into the kitchen. I looked at the clock. It was ten til three. Since I was already down here and that dream seemed to work up an appetite, I decided to fix myself a bowl of cereal. Once I finished making it and took a spoon out of the drawer to dig in, I heard shuffling noises from outside the kitchen. I wasn't sure if it was an intruder or not, but I grabbed the spoon from the counter and started walking towards the doorway. The only intruder I saw was Brad walking downstairs, wearing a pair of Fritz Donogan pajamas. He had his eyes closed and was yawning. I placed the spoon back on the counter. His eyes widened when he saw me. My eyes widened back.

"What are you doing down here?" Brad asked.

"I couldn't sleep and I started getting hungry so I came down here," I explained, "Why are you down here?"

"The same reason you're down here. I couldn't sleep, either."

"Would you like some cereal? We have a lot of it."

Brad yawned again. "I guess. If I can't go back to sleep, I might as well eat something. After all, I didn't even come downstairs for dinner."

"Why not?"

"It's not because I wasn't hungry. Trust me, I was. I keep having so many different thoughts and none of them are good. What if nobody can find my parents? What if I end up in a foster home? Or worse. What if I end up in another boarding school? I don't wanna go to another boarding school. My parents only sent me to Darkley`s because I was becoming too difficult to handle. I don't wanna be sent anywhere else."

"Don't worry, Brad. We'll make sure that never happens. The ninja will do whatever they can to find your parents. You just have to trust us."

"At this point, you're the only person I trust, Lloyd."

"Well, it's a started." While we were talking, I was able to fix Brad some cereal. I set both bowls on the table. "If anything, I'm glad that you trust me."

"Who else can I trust? Gene`s no longer my friend and there's no way I'll ever earn Nick`s trust. I heard you guys talking about me. Would you really want me to be at your birthday celebration besides Nick?"

"At this point, I really could care less. We're preteens now. At this age period, we should be making our own decisions. We can't always rely on people to tell us what to do all the time. One of these days, we're gonna have to fend for ourselves."

"You said it."

Another thought came into my mind. "I know this is personal and all, but where did your parents go on New Year's Eve?"

Brad sighed, putting his spoon down. "Well, my parents were going over to a friend of theirs house to celebrate the New Year with them. I couldn't go with them so they took me to stay with my grandmother at her retirement home. The next morning, one of the nurses offered to drive me home. When I got there, I didn't see my parents anywhere. I figured they went to the store or something, so I waited for them to come back. When noontime rolled around, I started to get worried. They always had their cell phones on them so I tried calling my mom, but she wasn't answering. I tried my dad's phone, but he wasn't answering, either. The worrying turned into hyperventilating. I didn't know what was going on and I was starting to become scared. I spent the rest of the day in the house alone. I spent the night alone, but I stayed in my parents room, hoping they would come home, but they didn't."

"So what did you do?"

"I went back over to the retirement home and told my grandmother what happened. We were in an empty room so nobody could hear our conversation. She told me that if my parents weren't home by tomorrow, I should come and stay with her for a little while. So I spent the night alone at my house again. There was no sign of my parents. I packed up my belongings and stayed at the retirement home for the rest of the week. I thought I was in the safe zone for a while until one of the nurses started getting suspicious. She started questioning me and it didn't help matters. I told my grandmother that I had to leave. I never told her why."

"What happened after you left the retirement home?"

"I went back to my house. I stayed there on my own for three whole days. A lot of mail had been left inside the mailbox and I saw that it was a bunch of bills and payments. After three days, the lights were cut off. The water stopped working, too. I had to move out, but I couldn't go back to stay with my grandmother."

"Where did you go?"

"I went to stay at my neighbors. She didn't mind, though. She said I could stay there for as long as I want. She was old and alone so she was perfect. Once Headmaster Wu got suspicious, I knew I wasn't in the safe zone anymore. I didn't wanna go back to school, but the thoughts in my head told me that I had to. I've had the secret kept for a month, but I wasn't sure gown much longer it could be kept. So my big fat mouth decided it was best to just tell somebody about it. That's how I ended up in the situation that I'm in now."

"Look on the bright side, Brad. At least your in good hands."

"Yeah, but only for a while. If you guys can't find my parents in time, I'll end up in a foster home."

"Can't find your parents in time? What are you talking about? We have plenty of time."

"Not according to what Headmaster Wu told me. He said that we only have until summer. He told me that if we couldn't find my parents until then, he would place me in the hands of Mrs. Gooderson. She seems like a nice person and all, but I don't wanna be placed in her hands. You gotta help me, Lloyd."

"Take it easy, Brad. I'm gonna help you. Don't worry about anything."

"How are you gonna help me? Where do we even start? Have you even noticed that there's a lot of stuff going through my head right now?"

"I know what you're going through, Brad. Just listen to me for a second. I have an idea. The first step of my idea is to investigate."

"Investigate? Why should we do that?"

"We need to know what your parents were doing on New Year's Eve. We need to figure out each place they were at. Before and after the party. If we keep going step by step, we'll be closer to figuring out where your parents are."

"Great. When do we start?"

"Well the first thing we need to do is write it all down."

"Then go get a pen and paper and let's start writing it down."

"Calm down, Brad. I wasn't talking about tonight. I was hoping we could do it tomorrow at recess."

"Recess?"

"Don't worry. The teachers are never outside. They're always in the teacher's lounge. That gives us plenty of time to figure it all out."

"Are you sure about all this, Lloyd?"

"Positive, Brad. I've solved plenty of mysteries before. This won't be the first time."

"Thanks, Lloyd. You're a true friend."

"Wait a minute. Did you just say I'm a true friend?"

"I did, actually. Was it unexpected or something?"

"It kind of was."

Footsteps emerged towards the kitchen. We looked to see that it was only my mother. She was wearing her bathrobe over her night gown. She looked at the both of us. "Why are you boys eating breakfast at three in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep and I was starting to work up an appetite," I said.

"Yeah, me too," Brad said, "Plus, I didn't eat dinner last night."

"What were you boys talking about down here?" Mom asked.

"We were just having a debate," I said, "I told Brad that Captain Gladiator is a lot better than Fritz Donogan."

"No, he isn't," Brad said, "I told you that Fritz Donogan`s super powers are a lot more advanced than Captain Gladiator`s."

Mom laughed. "Well, I think it's best if you boys head back up to bed. Don't forget to put your dirty dishes in the sink."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Garmadon," Brad said.

I took the bowls off the table. "I'll put the dishes in the sink."

"Oh, okay. See you in the daytime, Lloyd."

"Same to you, Brad."

I watch Brad walk out of the kitchen. Placing the bowls and spoons in the sink, I walked back upstairs and slipped back into bed. The night may have been long, but I'm just glad to waste it by talking to a friend. I think something great just came into my life. My uncle's words always help during times of darkness. It's best to make your enemies become your friend.

* * *

 **LLOYD AND BRAD HAD A TALK. THE TRUTH HAS BEEN TOLD. I WONDER WHICH SUPER HERO IS BEST. CAPTAIN GLADIATOR OR FRITZ DONOGAN?**

 **CAPTAIN GLADIATOR IS JUST A CHARACTER I MADE UP. ITS JUST A FICTIONAL SUPER HERO THAT A LOT OF LITTLE BOYS IDOL SO MUCH. I'M JUST WONDERING WHICH IS BETTER. I BET YOU ARE WONDERING THAT YOURSELF.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER. ALSO, I HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW. CHRISTMAS BREAK IS OFFICIALLY OVER. I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. The Day Before the Day of Love

CHAPTER 9

THE DAY BEFORE THE DAY OF LOVE

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

A lot of things have happened for the past week and a half. Brad and I finally went over to the house where his parents were suppose to be at for the New Year's Eve party. When we got there, the couple said they never showed up. When we got back home, we were stumped and didn't know where else to go. I'm not gonna give up, though, and that's a promise. A few days ago, Kai was just simply going to the grocery store to pick up a few things when somebody hit the back of his car, causing him to sprain his arm and gather a few cuts and bruises. The leader of the whole thing was none other than Dareth. If anything, he doesn't deserve to have a driver's license. Also, a storm hit the other night and a tree crashed in the parking lot of the school. The only damages caused were a few broken windows, but school was cancelled yesterday for the repairs to get started.

If you think things can't get worse, they can. I've been hearing people all day long at school talking about what they were going to give their secret crush for Valentine's Day. Although, that was a lot of the girls saying that, but still. I had forgotten that Valentine's Day was tomorrow and I didn't plan to make anything for Zelda. So I gather up some arts and crafts stuff and began working. The least I could make her was a card. I'm pretty sure a lot of girls would be getting little stuffed teddy bears and boxes of chocolate, but I think a card is much nicer. Plus, its simpler.

While I was working on the card, Nick came into my room. I didn't noticed him, so he started tapping on my desk. I looked at him at first then continued on with my work. He knocked on my desk hard with his fist. "Is there a reason why I'm being ignored?"

"What did you say, Nick?" I asked, pretending not to hear him, "Sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm working on a very important gift for a very important person."

"How could you possibly be making a gift for somebody? You don't even like any girls. Unless you're making something for your mom."

"It's none of your business."

Nick sighed. "I understand that you're mad at me, Lloyd, but I really need your help. I know I never really ask for your help much, but this time I am. I can't of the right gift to make for Monica. I don't have money to buy anything so my brain is all I have, but my brain isn't thinking about mushy gushy love gifts. Can you tell me anything?"

"It's simple. Just make her a Valentine's card."

"What should I draw in it? Or should I cut the drawings out? What color construction paper should I use? Pink or red? What kind of love quote should I use? Should I find a quote somebody else says or should I make one up myself?"

"Really, Nick, I thought you were a genius. I guess I was wrong."

"I am a genius. I'm just not used to making Valentine cards to certain people."

"Why are you making one for Monica then?"

"Because, in a way, she's special to me. You know what, Lloyd? Your no help at all. I'm gonna go find someone else."

Once Nick was out of sight, I continued working on my card for Zelda. Nick already knew that I have a crush on a girl, but I wasn't too happy with him. My birthday was coming up the day after tomorrow. Since Nick wouldn't be there, I wouldn't be nice to him until then. My thoughts started scattering when somebody else came into my room. I was thinking that it was Nick again so I kept working. A light tap was made on my shoulder. I turned around to see Brad. My eyes widened as I did my best to hide the card I was making for Zelda.

Brad gave me a confused stare, but changed his expression a second later. "Hey, Lloyd, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure thing, Brad. Hold on a second." I got up from my desk and closed my bedroom door. I sat back down, looking at Brad. "What do you need, Brad?"

"Why did you just close the door?"

"I was just trying to make sure that nobody came in here while we were talking. Especially Nick. So, what do you need?"

"I don't know if I should be talking about this because it's kind of personal. Can you keep a secret?"

"Keep a secret? I've kept plenty of them. I have secrets of my own that you don't even know about, but that's a different story. I don't mind keeping one that you've told me, though. What is it?"

"Well, there's this girl at school that I kind of like. She's really nice and we've never really spoken to each other before. I mean, we've made eye contact with each other, but we've just never talked. Anyway, I had a little money saved up and I went and bought her this little teddy bear. It's a little brown teddy bear and it has a heart in its hands that says you'll always be perfect to me. I wanna make her a card as well, but I just don't know what to say in it. Got any ideas?"

"What did it say on the heart the teddy bear was holding?"

"You'll always be perfect to me."

"Who's the special girl you plan to give it to?"

"You might know her. She's the prettiest girl in school. Not a lot of guys drool over her, but I think she's kind of pretty, if you know what I mean."

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Staci Johnson, would you?"

"How did you know?"

"She's the only girl everybody at school refers to as the pretty person. How in the world did you end up developing a crush on her?"

"I don't know. It feels as though she's... the one."

"What do you mean by the one?"

"I mean that she's the perfect girl for me. I can see it right through her heart. I'm hoping that she truly believes that I've changed from my evil ways. If anything, I want her to see it through my heart."

"How can somebody see through your heart?"

"I don't want her to actually see my heart. I want her to see my expression. I want her to know that I've absolutely, positively changed. So, about the card. What should I write in it?"

"Well, you don't want it to be too lovey dovey or mushy gushy. This is your first time ever making a Valentine's card to somebody you actually like. You need to make it as simple as you possibly can."

"What if she doesn't like things simple? What if she wants things to be all cute and cuddly? You know how girls are nowadays. They want everything to be filled with so much fluff that it's just gonna explode right out of you."

"Listen, Brad, this card is made from your heart. It's your responsibility to write down what you think is best."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've never been more sure about anything before."

"I hope you're right, Lloyd. Okay, I need to come up with a good quote. How about I make up a rhyme? Something like this. You're as simple as can be. At least you are to me. How's that?"

"When I said simple, I didn't mean that you had to put it inside the phrase. Plus, a lot of store bought cards have rhymes in them. You might wanna think of something else."

"Okay, how about this? I think of you as a really great person. I hope we can be great friends. How does that sound?"

"It's better, but it's kind of long and its in separate sentences. You need to figure something out that's short and sweet. A lot of girls like that. Especially the pretty ones."

"Short and sweet? I'll never be able to think of something like that. It was stupid of me to think I could make a card for Staci Johnson. She would never wanna go near a guy like me."

"Brad, remember this. I'm a ninja, and ninja never quit. I'm not gonna quit on you. We're gonna figure out the right quote. You'll see."

"We're not writers, Lloyd. How can we think up of such magnificent quotes?"

"This is why we stay in school. We may not be writers, but we do have brains." I gasped. "I've got it. What did that heart say on the teddy bear again?"

"You'll always be perfect to me."

"I have an idea."

"I hope it's a good one, Lloyd."

"This is the quote that we needed. Instead of figuring out a different one, let's just keep on quote and use them for both gifts."

"Well, I can't change the quote on the bear. Do you think it's perfect?"

"It's simple, it's short and it's sweet. You can't get any better than that."

"I hope it works. Thanks, Lloyd."

"Anytime, Brad. If you ever have a problem, just let me know about it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Brad closed the door to my room. Hopefully, I helped him out with that little love problem of his. You can't get much better that short, sweet and simple. Now I just need to figure out the right quote for Zelda. Should it be magnificent or simple? Maybe giving Brad that kind of advice wasn't such a good idea.

* * *

 **HEY, GUYS. I'M HERE. I TOLD YOU I WAS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY. I DID. MY SECOND BLOCK IS STILL THE SAME. I HAVE GEOMETRY AND I HATE MATH. MY OTHER CLASSES CHANGED. NOW I HAVE FOUR NEW CLASSES.**

 **LOOKS LIKE LLOYD WAS ABLE TO GIVE BRAD SOME GREAT ADVICE ABOUT WHAT TO GIVE A GIRL. GOOD FOR HIM.**

 **OH, I HAD FORGOTTEN TO TELL YOU THAT I GOT MY PSAT SCORES BACK. I GOT AN 830. I NEED HELP. IF ANY OF YOU ARE JUNIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND YOU HAVE TAKEN THE PSAT, DO YOU MIND TELLING ME IF 830 IS A GOOD SCORE OR NOT. I'M JUST WONDERING.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	11. Valentine's Day

CHAPTER 10

VALENTINE'S DAY

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The day had finally come. Valentine's Day. I saw a lot of festivities going on in the house once I woke up. The ninja plan to take their ladies out for dinner. There's no way my parents would let me take anyone out to dinner without having a chaperone there. I was finally finished with the card I spent all afternoon making Zelda. I placed it in my bag as I started gathering my school things. Even though it's a holiday, it first mean that we can't goof off and waste the day away with love. I went over to the bed and started putting my shoes on. I heard footsteps coming towards my room. This time I walked over and opened it myself to make sure it wasn't Nick and his ridiculous tricks. Instead, it was Brad. His hair was nice and combed. It was also flat. In all the days I've known Brad, I've never seen Brad make sure his hair was nice and ready.

His smile was nervous as he waved at me. "Hey, Lloyd. Do I look okay?"

"In all my life, I've never seen you wear your hair in any different way before."

"Does it look bad? Oh, I knew it was a bad idea to do anything to the top of my head."

"Come on, Brad, it doesn't matter how you look. I mean, you look great, but girls aren't interested in how guys look. They only think about how the guy cares about them. Dressing the part is good. That lets the girl know that you at least have a little class."

"Thanks, Lloyd, but I don't think I can go out there alone. Can you help me out? I mean, don't be anywhere in sight to where Staci can see you. Just be somewhere close. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure thing. Just tell me where you want me to be."

"Okay. See you in the car."

Once I finished with all my daily morning routines, I climbed into the car and made my way to school. I made sure that I had Zelda`s gift in my bag. Once we got to school, Brad dragged me out of the car. Right after my mom told us to have a great day, and also calling me sweetie pie, we made our way towards the side of the building. We both saw Staci talking to a few of her friends.

"There she is," Brad said, "Staci Johnson. How amazing she is!"

"Well, she seems like the perfect person for you," I said.

"I don't know if I can do this, Lloyd. What if I mess up?"

"Don't worry, Brad. I believe in you and I'm sure that Staci will as well. Once you go up and giver her the gifts you got her. Now go on."

Brad took a deep breath and walked over to Staci. I stood on the side of the building, waiting to see what he would do. I started hearing them talk. "Hey, Staci. I'm sure you know me, but we don't really talk a lot to each other."

"Hey, Brad," Staci said, "It's always good to see you. Yeah, I know we don't really talk a lot. You can thank my friends for that. They keep telling me that your still a bad boy, but I don't believe them. Word has it that you've changed from your evil ways."

"Yeah, it's true. I have."

"Well, next time I see you and I'm with friends, make sure you let them know about that. I don't want them spreading around the rumor that your still evil."

"I'll make sure of that next time. By the way, there's something that I wanna give you."

"What is it, Brad?"

Brad held up the teddy bear and card in front of her. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Staci gasped. "Brad, you made these for me? That's really sweet of you." She opened the card and read it aloud. "You'll always be perfect to me. Wow, Brad, you barely know me, but you know what to say that's true to your heart. I really appreciate this. Thank you."

"Sure thing, Staci. Anytime."

"Hey, my dad's wanting to take me to play mini golf next weekend. Do you wanna come along?"

"Of course I would. I hope you don't mind if I could bring a friend or two."

"Sure. The more, the merrier."

"Staci, come one," one of Staci`s friends called out, "We don't have all day to wait on you."

"I better get going, Brad," Staci said, "You know how impatient my friend Tammy can get."

"Yeah, I know," Brad said.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. I can't wait for you and your friends to come play mini golf with me."

"I can't wait, either. See you later, Staci."

"See you later, Brad."

Staci ran off. Brad came back over to me. "I suppose you heard our conversation, considering that you've been standing here the whole time."

"She liked the card and all," Lloyd said, "Why did you agree to go mini golfing with her?"

"I don't know. She asked me and I just couldn't refuse. It made me think that I wanted to go mini golfing with her. I don't know what to do. I can't just walk up to her and tell her I changed my mind. That would be evil, and I don't do that anymore."

"Don't worry, Brad. I'll be there with you every step of the way."

"Yeah, I kind of told her that I would bring along a couple of friends. Do you know of anybody that you could bring along?"

"Well, I can't bring Nick. He doesn't wanna be anywhere near you."

"What about your cousin Monica?"

"How did you know Monica was my cousin?"

"Uh, she tells everybody that she's Headmaster Wu`s daughter. I think we all know that by now."

"I don't know. Monica's not the type of person to play golf. Plus, she's taking dance class and lessons are mostly on Saturdays."

"There has to be someone you know. What about that girl that lives next door to you guys?"

"You mean Zelda Allyman? No way, Brad. We can't bring her along."

"Come on, Lloyd, I know you have a crush on her. I also know that you made a card for her and its inside your backpack as we speak. I'm pretty sure you haven't asked her to go anywhere with you before."

"No, I haven't."

"Then this is your chance, Lloyd. Now go out there and ask her."

"I really don't think this is a good idea, Brad. What if she says no?"

"Lloyd, you didn't give up on me, so I'm not gonna give up on you." He plucked a flower from a nearby bush. "Here, give this to her. Don't be too nervous. I know you can do this. Just go out there and do your best."

"Alright, I'll do it." I took a deep breath. "I'm gonna do it."

"That's the spirit."

I spotted Zelda over by the picnic tables. She was sitting there all alone while staring at all the other girls that were receiving Valentine gifts from their special someone. This was the perfect moment. I know it. I walked up to her, holding out the card and flower. I smiled goofily. "Happy Valentine's Day, Zelda."

"Oh, Lloyd, what a beautiful flower and such a well decorated card," Zelda said, "You have really made this the best Valentine's Day I've ever had."

"I'm glad I made it great."

Zelda opened the card and read it aloud. "You shall always be special to me in my heart. Oh, Lloyd, you have really made my day."

"I'm glad, and I plan to make it an even better day."

"Oh, really. Do you have any other gifts?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to come mini golfing with me and a couple of friends. Will you come along with us?"

"I would love to join you and your friends in mini golfing. When are we going?"

"Next Saturday. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all." The bell rang inside the school. "Oh, I better get to class. I hope to see you again, Lloyd. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Same to you, Zelda." I walked back over to Brad. "It's official. I asked Zelda to come along and she accepted."

"Great, so it's a double date," Brad said.

"You never said anything about a date. You just told me to ask her."

"Never mind, Lloyd. Let's just get to class."

Brad and I ran inside the school. At least the day of love is officially over for me. Now the only thing on my list is my birthday. The day that's all about me.

* * *

 **WELL, THERE YOU GO. THAT'S MY ONE AND ONLY VALENTINE'S SPECIAL. LOOKS LIKE BRAD AND LLOYD HAVE DATES. ALTHOUGH, I WOULDN'T CALL IT A DATE. I WONDER WHAT NICK THINKS ABOUT ALL THIS.**

 **WELL, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO TALK ABOUT.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	12. Lloyd's Birthday

CHAPTER 11

LLOYD'S BIRTHDAY

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The night was filed with a dreamless sleep. No shadows filled my head or anything else. I was perfectly happy. The sun was shining bright and early. It was a cold day and the leftover snow from yesterday was starting to melt. I'm pretty sure that was the last snowfall for the season. For the rest of the time, it would just be cold. Maybe in the low twenties through high forties, but that was it. The sun was shining and it was Saturday morning. There was no school and today was the greatest day of my life. I woke up and rubbed my eyes. Sitting on my bed, I looked at my alarm clock to see that it was almost seven. I woke up too early, but I didn't care. I jumped out of bed and looked up at my calender. I smiled when I saw the date. The day had finally come. The greatest day of my whole life. My birthday.

Excitement rushed through my veins. I decided to run downstairs without changing my clothes or anything else for that matter. I walked into the kitchen, seeing that it was empty, but also dark. I turned on the light. When I did, I got a big surprise.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted, "Happy Birthday, Lloyd!"

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, "This is awesome! You guys did all this for me?"

"Who wouldn't have a celebration for somebody's birthday?" Cole asked, "Without a celebration, there would be no cake."

"Do not worry, everyone," Zeah said, coming in from the dining room, "I have breakfast set up on the table and its waiting for everyone. I've made a special birthday celebration pancakes."

"You've read my mind," I said, running into the dining room.

The table was full of pancakes, sausage, bacon and whatever else you could think of. During breakfast, everyone gave me cards. Being the type of guy I am, I decided to teach Brad that it was respectful to read the cards and thank the people who gave them to you. I think he got the message by the time I got to the second card. After breakfast, my parents took us all to the bowling alley. Zeah had stayed home to finish up with some things before we got home. Plus, Nick decided to stay home since he didn't want to be anywhere near Brad.

Bowling was a lot of fun. We played two games. It was Brad and I against Jay and Zane at first. They won, of course, but only because Brad and I weren't skilled at bowling. The second game was against Kai and Cole. We won that game, though. Kai knew a lot about bowling, but Cole wasn't much of a person that played sports. Everybody else had sat on the sidelines, watching the whole thing.

After the game, my mom took Brad and I into the arcade room. Monica had stayed out at the alleys, playing a game against her father. Brad and I had played a few rounds of Fist to Face 3. The video game hasn't come out, but this game was only a demo of the real one. We played a few other games and settled down for lunch. I was glad they actually had a pizza place here.

Brad and I were mostly silent the whole time so I decided to break it. "I hope you don't mind if we could come up with something to talk about. This silence is starting to wear me out."

"Go ahead," Brad said, "If you can't think of anything, I actually have something that might interest you."

"What is it?"

"Since we already talked to the people that said My parents never made it to the party, why don't we go back to my place and see where they went before they went missing. I remember that they usually leave a list of places or a list of things they go or need before they make another one. So we just need to find the list."

"Why would somebody create an extra list?"

"My parents do it just in case I get left at home by myself. If something we're to ever happen, they told me to just escape and come right to them. As long as I keep the list in hand."

"Wouldn't that be the dangerous thing to do?"

"As long as you don't get caught, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter. After all, you have to think of some way to get out of the house."

"I guess you're right. We'll go over to you place tomorrow after temple services."

My mother walked up to us. "Are you boys doing okay over here?"

"Yeah, Mom, everything's fine," I said, "Brad and I were just talking about the new Fist to Face 3 that's coming out."

"The demo was awesome, so the games gonna be pretty awesome, too."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mom said, "Lloyd, do you mind if I could talk to you alone for a minute?"

"Sure, Mom," I said.

Mom took me to another table, far away from Brad. She looked me in the eyes. "Lloyd, is there something going on between you and Nick?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there has to be something going on. There wouldn't be a reason why he wouldn't come celebrate your birthday with the rest of us."

"It's hard to talk about."

"Lloyd, if there's something going on, you can tell me."

"It's just difficult right now. I don't know what his problem is. He won't tell me."

"Well, I usually hear you two argue sometimes upstairs. There has to be something going on."

"Come on, Mom, it's my birthday. Do you mind if we not talk about this today?"

"Alright, we'll talk about it another time, but only because today is your special day. Don't think I won't forget about this little conversation."

"Okay, Mom."

"You know, it's always a blessing to spend some wonderful time with my little birthday boy."

"Mom, don't embarrass me."

"Sorry, sweetie." She kissed me on the cheek. "We'll be leaving in a few minutes. Be ready."

I ran off over to where Brad was sitting. We spent the rest of the time playing Fist to Face 3. When we got back home, it was another surprise to me. Zeah had made a chocolate birthday cake. It was still warm by the time it was placed on the table for us. It was devoured after Cole took three pieces from it. After that, I received presents from everyone. They were all nice and I even got an awesome one. I got the new issue of Captain Gladiator. I've been waiting for that one. I also got the new villain figure from the TV show. I got a new sword as well. He presents were great, but my celebration was officially over. I spent the rest of the day watching a bunch of action movies.

Brad was upstairs reading some of my comics that I let him borrow. Nick walked downstairs, sitting next to me on the couch. He sighed. "Lloyd, I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the television.

"For being a jerk. I know I said that we could be acquaintances, but let's just be somewhat of friends."

"What's in it for me?"

"I just want you to forgive me. That's all I'm asking. For some reason, I'm starting to believe that Brad has really changed. I'm not sure if I can totally believe it, but it's a start, right?"

"I guess, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still mad at you."

"Why are you still mad at me? I apologized, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't change things."

"What else do you want me to do, Lloyd? I'm asking you to forgive me. I'm literally begging you. I've never had to do that before. I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"There's nothing you can do, Nick. You just have to suck it up and face the facts. There's nothing you can do."

"Do you want us to be friends again?"

"It depends."

"It depends on what? Stop confusing me, Lloyd. I've never been this confused in my life."

"Well, get used to it. Once you become old, you'll be confused for the rest of your life."

"I don't want to end up confused for the rest of my life. What do you want from me, Lloyd? Just tell me. What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I don't want anything from you. Nothing at all."

"That's it, Lloyd. You just went back to the acquaintance step in our friendship. What do you have to say to that?"

"It's the greatest birthday present I've ever seen. I couldn't ask for more."

"You're unbelievable. Everybody's unbelievable. This entire world is unbelievable. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I didn't answer him. Nick gave me a stern look. "Didn't think so. I'll see you at dinner if I ever decide to come downstairs or not."

Nick left and I was finally free of his voice. It's not because I didn't want him around. I was just mad because he wouldn't come to my birthday celebration. I was also mad because he wouldn't get along with Brad. I just didn't have the heart to tell him. Not one bit. Happy Birthday to me.

* * *

 **THERE YOU HAVE IT. LLOYD'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPECIAL. LOOKS LIKE HE HAD A GOOD ONE. EXCEPT THE PART WHERE NICK STARTED BOTHERING HIM. I DON'T THINK HE LIKED THAT.**

 **SORRY, I'M IN A BIT OF A RUSH. I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO CHAT.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	13. Searching Brads House

CHAPTER 12

SEARCHING BRAD`S HOUSE

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

It was bright and early when we made our way to Brad`s house. Well, it wasn't early, but it was bright. We decided to search Brad`s home. Although, I don't think today would've been the right day. I somehow wasn't feeling like myself. I had a headache the size of a rhino and a stomach ache the size of an elephant. My muscles were aching pretty bad. I was starting to become afraid that I might be coming down with something. I even felt my forehead and I felt warm, but I made a promise to Brad and I wasn't gonna break it. All I did was get out of bed, pretend I was okay and go out to do whatever was needed. My feet were aching by the time we left out of my house. We told my mom that we would take a walk around the neighborhood and would be back later. By the time we got to Brad`s house, things weren't how they usually were. Mail was stuffed in the mailbox. Some was even scattered on the ground. It was still winter so the grass was still low, but there were signs on the house. We walked up to take a look at them.

What we just read was a six month warning. If Brad`s parents didn't pay the yearly house payment by the summertime, they would sell Brad`s home with everything in it.

"They can't do this to us, Lloyd," Brad said, "They just can't. What will my family and I do if we don't have a home? You've gotta help me here."

"I told you I was gonna help you out and I meant it," I said, "Now come on."

The door wasn't locked, thank goodness, so we went inside and looked around. The house was just like it was suppose to be. Clean and mess free. The first thing we had to do was search the house. Brad searched the left side of the rooms while I searched the right. While we were looking through the kitchen, I started coughing more than I usually do. I started burning up more thanks to the jacket I was wearing. I took it off and continued searching. It was like this from room to room. Our next stop was the bathroom, but there was no way I was going in there. I promised to help Brad, but I wasn't planning to put myself inside another person's bathroom.

"Are you scared to be in somebody else's bathroom?" Brad asked.

"No," I said, "I'm just not comfortable with it. That's all."

"Alright, I'll search in there myself. Just keep your eyes peeled in case somebody decides to run in here."

Brad went into the bathroom and I stood next to it watching for anything to happen. I started sneezing and I was hoping to find a tissue somewhere. Now my nose was stopped up and starting to run. I felt like just sitting down and taking a nap because I was so tired, but I couldn't close my eyes for one second. By the time my eyes started to droop, Brad was already out of the bathroom.

"I couldn't find it in there," Brad said, "Let's go check my bedroom."

"Where else haven't we check?" I asked.

"The parent's bedroom is the last place."

"If your parents were the one's that wrote it, wouldn't they leave it in a spot where you could just grab it and go if you needed to." I had to cough, but I held it in.

"Maybe, but just to be safe, let's check my room first."

When we got to Brad`s room, I was thinking that he had a lot of old stuff that he used to have from his evil days. All he really had were posters and actions figures of Fritz Donogan. We started searching, but the only papers we found were letters and notes. Other than that, we couldn't find the one that Brad`s parents may or may not have written down.

"Well, it's not in here," Brad said.

"Let's check your parents room," I said.

Brad`s parents room were just the same as any other parents room. A king sized bed, nightstands on both sides of the bed, a television, a closet, a dresser and all that. We started searching right away. We looked through every single spot. Well, almost every spot. I was just about to open the third drawer on the dresser when Brad placed his body over it.

"Don't open that," Brad said, "That's where my mother keeps all her... personal belongings."

"Well, at least you said it in our term of language," I said.

"This is hopeless, Lloyd. We're never gonna find it. I don't even think my parents even wrote one down. I'll never find my parents. We're halfway out of time. I can just see the future now. I've been placed inside a foster home with other kids that will treat me as their slave. I can just see it all happen right before my eyes."

"Brad, what have I told you a thousand times before?"

"A ninja never quits."

"That's right, I haven't quit before and I'm not gonna quit now. Especially with you."

"Is there a reason why your helping me? Nick would never let you do it. Why are you helping me?"

"Because your my best friend."

"I thought Nick was your best friend."

"To be honest, I don't think Nick and I are ever gonna make it to brotherhood anytime soon."

"Brotherhood? What do you mean by that?"

"Nick can be weird sometimes. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever I can to help you no matter what." I sneezed, but in the opposite direction away from Brad.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I'm serious, Lloyd. If we don't find something that will give us a clue, I'm gonna go out of my mind. We've searched every part of this house."

"Not every part. There's only one place to where it could be." I pointed to the drawer that Brad said was restricted. "Nobody would ever think to look there."

"I told myself that I would never look into my mother's... personal belongings... and I don't plan to do it now."

"Come on, Brad. If a robber were to ever come here, would you think they would be stupid enough to look through that drawer? Why do you think you mother would keep stuff in there? To hide it from other people. I'm only telling you to do it this one time. After that, I will never ask you to do it again."

"I hope your telling the truth. By the way, are you sick or something? Your voice is sounding different."

"I might be coming down with something, but I'll worry about that later."

"You just stay right there. I'll do this. Those personal belongings are rightfully owned by my mother. I'll have to learn about them one of these days. Today seems to be that day. Here I go."

Brad took a deep breath and walk over to the restricted drawer. Opening the drawer slowly, Brad took a peek and gasped. At first I thought he saw something that he wasn't suppose to, but that's when I saw a piece of paper in his hands. My eyes widened with surprise.

"I guess I was right," I said, "It was in the restricted drawer."

"Until I'm older enough to understand, I'm never looking into another one of those drawers again," Brad said.

"Well, the good news is we found the list of places. It's dated that it was written on the last day of last year."

"Looks like we're on the right path and taking the first step in our investigation."

"You had good news. Is there some bad news you wanna share?"

"The bad news is we're gonna need to put a hold on it. Do you mind helping me get home? I think I've come down with something."

"Sure thing, buddy. Let's get you home."

Brad helped me home. I told my mother that I wasn't feeling well and she put me to bed right away. The doctor came over an hour later. He told me that I came down with a feverish cold, but it should clear up in a few days. Once he left, I finally had the chance to fall asleep. I didn't notice my mother coming in with a tray full of lunch.

"Lloyd, I made you lunch," Mom said.

I opened my eyes, but closed them back. "I'll eat later."

"I think I know why your sick. You have too much on your mind and too much to do. You keep making so many promises, you don't know what to do. There's so much stress in your mind. You can't think straight."

"How do you know?"

"I've been through it plenty of times. Especially after I met your father."

"I guess I have the same mind as you, huh?"

"You certainly do. Lloyd, if there's something going on, you can tell me. I promise that I won't get angry."

"There's nothing going on, Mom. I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely, positively sure."

"I'm just checking to make sure." She kissed my forehead. "Sweet dreams, darling."

I laid back down, ignoring the tray that was laying on the side of my bed. Mom was right. There is something going on and I was starting to become stressed out about the whole thing. I just didn't want to admit it.

* * *

 **WELL, LOOKS LIKE BRAD AND LLOYD FOUND WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR. I SUPPOSE YOU KNOW WHAT PERSONAL BELONGINGS MEAN. I'M GONNA MAKE THAT PART RATED K+. MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF RATED T, BUT NOT TOO MUCH.**

 **LOOKS LIKE LLOYD'S COME DOWN WITH A COLD. IF ONLY HE WILL JUST ADMIT TO HIS MOTHER WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.**

 **WELL, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	14. The World History Museum

CHAPTER 13

THE WORLD HISTORY MUSEUM

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

After having to make up a bunch of homework and getting closer in the investigation of Brad`s missing parents, the end of February has finally arrived. We were actually getting closer I the investigation. The first place Brad`s parents went was to the grocery store to pick up a party platter. The grocer said the he saw them there. He recognized Brad`s mother since she was a regular customer. He said that it worried him when she went missing. He said that she was such a loyal customer. So it couldn't of been anyone there. We continued on our way to the next place they went. The bakery. Lucky for us, the baker knew Brad`s mom because she was a regular customer. She said that the last time she saw them was on New Year's Eve and she was about to close up shop. They were the last customers of the day. They couldn't have taken them, but we did find something interesting. We found Brad`s parents car in the middle of the street. It was banged up a bit on the left side and there were a bunch of parking tickets on the front of it. We were closer in the investigation. We were able to sneak in the car without anyone looking and found a note that was written in there. Brad said that it wasn't his parents handwriting, so it had to be from someone else.

We haven't looked at the letter yet, but we were getting closer in this investigation. Some are probably wondering why Brad and I didn't go mini golfing with Staci and her dad. Well, Staci started feeling real bad in class the other day. She had went home and earlier the next day we got a call from her dad that they it due to Staci needing to get her appendix removed. It was embarrassing to call Zelda and tell her the mini golfing trip was cancelled, but she understood. It saddened her, but she still understood. So we spent the day investigating Brad`s parents mysterious disappearance.

Now it's the end of Feburary. The year's going by fast. I was packing up a bag for our two night field trip to the World History Museum. I had to make sure that I had everything packed and it was crossed off my list. Brad was coming with us since my uncle helped him out. Nick was coming, too, and so was his sister. I better not get on her bad side.

My parents drove Brad and I to the school. They weren't coming along with us, but my mom wanted to drop us off so she could say goodbye. Which is exactly what happened. She kissed me so many times, hugged me until I couldn't breath and called me all kinds of cute names.

"You have a wonderful time on your field trip," Mom said, "Don't wander off and stay with your class. Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much. You have a wonderful time, my snookum wookums."

"Mom," I said, "Not in front of everybody here."

"Sorry, sweetie." Mom kissed my cheek once more. "You have a wonderful time and I'll see you when I get back."

Once Mom left, Brad and I piled onto the bus. It was a two hour drive to get into the second largest city in all of Ninjago. Chitow City. Only this city was different than Ninjago City. Chitow City was covered with more lights. It's also the home of where all the movie stars and singers got their fame. This is where magic is happening everyday.

When we got to the World History Museum, we were greeted by a really kind tour guide named Cherry. Her smile was big and she waved at us. "Welcome, Sensei Wu Academy, to the World History Museum. It's so wonderful for you all to join us. As you all know, my name is Cherry, and I'll be your tour guide throughout your entire trip. I'll be showing you the wonders of the past, the present and the future. Tonight we're going to be focusing on an overview of the entire museum. If you all will just follow me to our glorious auditorium." The inside of the lobby was huge. It was like an entire museum could already fit in here. Which it could, if you know what I mean. Cherry led us to a set of double doors. "Through these doors is a wonderful opportunity to meet some great archeologist that have found some of the greatest treasures in history. We're also going to meet the owner of the entire museum. I'm sure you've all learned a little bit of who Clutch Powers is."

"We're about to meet Clutch Powers," Cole said.

"He's just a little excited," Kai said, "Maybe too excited."

"Well, everyone, follow me," Cherry said, leading us inside the large auditorium.

Once we all had a seat, some great archeologist came up to the stage and started talking about their lives and stuff. I thought it was the most bored I've ever been. Once Clutch Powers came up, everyone was cheering.

Clutch Powers started laughing in joy. "Hello, student of Sensei Wu Academy. I'm sure you all know me. I am the one and only Clutch Powers, one of the most well known archeologist in Ninjago and the rest of the world. I'm also the one that opened up the few World History Museums in the entire world. It's safe to say that I've only opened up five. I bet you're wondering this. Why did I choose Ninjago to be the place to run this fine establishment. Well, I'll tell you. Ninjago has had more findings than any other country in the entire world. You all should be lucky that you have a wonderful history around you. Now before I get to the part where you all have questions and stuff, allow me to tell you all a little bit about myself.

"You see, my real name is not Clutch Powers. At first, I was know as John Hawk. A nice name, if you know what I mean. I loss my mother when I was twelve. Now all I have is my father. To this day, my father is proud of the success that I was able to bring. I grew up in a nearby village not too far away from Chitow City. I found my first artifact when I was fourteen. It wasn't placed in this museum until after I became well known. Ever since, I've been traveling from place to place, discovering new findings everyday. That's how I became well known.

"Even though all of my findings are in here, I don't actually keep all of them to myself. Some of the archeologists who bring their artifacts into the museum are my very good friends. Don't be worried. I have plenty of friends. I'm hoping for you all to be my greatest friends as well. I know some of you are eager to be my friends. I must say that without my friends, this museum would be nothing. So, do you all have any questions?"

Everyone had plenty of questions. I had a few. Cole had a lot. I felt as though he questions would last longer than the tours would. Cherry cam up on the stage a little while later. "Okay, everyone, we'll all see Clutch Powers a little bit later. For now, why don't we all go ahead and get settled in before dinner. Students will be sleeping in the tourist area on the first floor. Teachers and chaperones will be sleeping in the lodging area on the second floor. Okay, I'll see you all at dinner."

We all made our way to our locations. Cherry led us into the room. It was pretty large with beds for everyone. I found a bed that I saw was comfortable. Plus, it had all my stuff on it. All the girls had to sleep in a separate room. Cherry made sure that the door was lock so no boys would go in. I wonder if the door for our room was locked so no girls would come in.

Brad was sleeping in the bed next to me. He walked over to me. "Hey, Lloyd, after the trip is over, are we still gonna be on the search for clues about my parents?"

"Of course we are," I said, "I wouldn't back down on that. Right after the trip is over, we go straight back on the search."

"I can't believe we're inside the World History Museum. You have to be some kind of traveler to get all the way over here. How we're the teachers able to pay for all this?"

"That's something we'll never know. Besides, we don't need to worry about that. Sure this trip is educational, but we're still having the times of our lives."

"Do you know what we're having for dinner?"

"Nope. I bet it's something good, though."

"I hope so. I'm starting to get hungry. Hey, did you bring any comics?"

"Sorry, I couldn't bring any entertainment with me. It wasn't on the list for an overnight bag."

"Right. That would be the bad thing to do and I'm not like that anymore."

A knock came to the door. Cherry popped her head in. "Okay, boys, time for dinner. Let's get going."

I looked at Brad. "Join me for dinner?"

"Do I have a choice?" Brad asked.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I'm just messing with you. Let's just get going."

Before I left the room, I saw that Nick was still unpacking. I wasn't sure if he was coming to dinner or not, but I wasn't going to ask. I walked out of the room, ignoring what he was doing. I wasn't going to figure it out and I had no reasons to ask.

* * *

 **THEY ARE NOW AT THE WORLD HISTORY MUSEUM. I HOPE THEY HAVE FUN. HOPEFULLY NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN WHILE THEY'RE HAVING FUN.**

 **I KNOW I HAVEN'T PUT ANY ACTION IN HERE. I PROMISE THAT I WILL. DON'T YOU WORRY ABOUT THAT.**

 **BEFORE I GO, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK The Mayor of Ninjago City. HE HAS BEEN MY ONLY REVIEWER, BUT NOT THE ONLY READER. I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL THE OTHERS THAT READ MY STORIES. YOU GUYS ROCK!**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	15. An Incident at the Museum

CHAPTER 14

AN INCIDENT AT THE MUSEUM

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The next day came along quick. I was out of bed and into my clothes before I knew it. After breakfast, we would be visiting the first three floors, which contains legendary artifacts of the past. In the past, archeologists found some of the most greatest artifacts that made history extraordinary. The first floor contained some of the worlds greatest discover which also continues on the next floor. On the third floor, all the artifacts found in Ninjago were stored there. Our teachers gave us papers and clipboards to take notes. They also said that we would have a test on what we wrote down at the end of next week. I bet it's going to be worth a history grade. The best thing to do was to separate it in parts. I study better that way.

We saw a lot of things on the first and second floor, but they didn't seem to be interesting. Some of it sounded cool, but nothing I'd wanna learn about. Once we got to the third floor, I suddenly became interested. The walls were basically filled with weapons from the past. Ninjago was known to use all types of different swords. I actually saw the fang blades in a glass container box. There's no reason to do all that because the Serpentine were no longer interested in them. What were they gonna do? Summon a new Great Devourer? I don't think so.

There was one artifact that we saw that was mysterious looking. It looked like an old flute. I had raised my hand when we stopped. "Cherry, is that artifact in the middle of the wall a flute?"

"Actually, yes, it is," Cherry said, "History tells us that this is one of the flutes that were created during the Serpentine Wars to drive them away from villages. Unfortunately, this is the only one left. The rest of the flutes were either destroyed or broken. We do have some broken flutes that were found ten years ago by Misako Garmadon."

I didn't want anyone to know that the broken flutes were founded by my mother, so I just continued with questions. "I heard that there was only one flute left in existence, but who found it?"

"This flute was founded by Clutch Powers two years ago. It was buried in the sand a few miles away from the ancient city of Oraborous. He didn't place it in the present section of the museum because it contained too much history of the past. He never explained to us what kind of history it had. As every great archeologist says, every artifact tells a story. Usually those stories become historical."

"Do you mind if we could see those flutes?"

"Of course. That's actually our next destination. Follow me, everyone." We all followed Cherry. I took one last look at the flute before continuing on. I made my way to the front of the crowd to see an old wooden flute in pieces inside a glass container. Cherry stood next to it. "This here is one of the old flutes from the Serpentine Wars. According to history, Misako Garmadon was around during the war, but she was young. Probably in her early twenties. Some say she was a mistress of spinjitzu, but it's hard to say because nobody has ever seen her in action. There is a fact about her, though. She was married to Lord Garmadon. Nowadays, I hear that he is known as Sensei Garmadon, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, she brought this in ten years ago and stated that it was her husband's, who was part of the Serpentine Wars and fought on the side of good, even though he had evil seeping in his veins. Once the Serpentine Wars were over and things became different for Garmadon, he destroyed his flute and placed the pieces inside a drawer in his monestary. When Misako found it in her old home ten years ago, she placed it in a box and brought it to the museum. To this day, it remains here. It was also know to be Misako Garmadon`s first historical discovery."

"Are there still some theorys that maybe a few of the flutes are still out there?" Nick asked.

"It's hard to say, but if anybody did find one, it would be the finding of the year," Cherry said, "Flutes are rare in Ninjago and nobody owns one. Some say that flutes are the sign of evil, but some use them for good. The good ones we'll never know about. Well, on to our next destination." Cherry led us all to a green vase with the symbol of peace in the middle. "Here we are. Our next artifact. This one happens to be my favorite."

"Is there a reason why it has the symbol of peace on it?" Monica asked.

"That's a really good question. This vase was made by the hands of Clutch Powers grandfather. They say his grandfather's name was Peace Powers. That's where Clutch got his last name from. He wanted to continue his grandfather's legacy. This was the first time the symbol of peace has been seen anywhere. In fact, Peace was the one to create the first full word in the Ninjian language. That was way back before the Serpentine Wars came around. As a matter of fact, it was a few years before the war of good and evil happened, creating Ninjago in the image that it is today. One of the reasons that it's my favorite artifact is because there's actually a legend that was written by Peace Powers himself."

"What was the legend?" I asked.

"Peace Powers wrote legends about things he saw in his own village and it gives us a realistic image about things that happened in the early nineteen hundreds. When he created the vase, the legend that was written about it was the first one that he ever wrote. In his village, there was nothing but peace. Everyone was happy. One day, another village declared war on theirs. The war only lasted a week, though, before the peaceful village won. The other village knew that they weren't going to back down, causing them to surrender. The legend was actually true. A year before he made the vase, he was actually part of the war in the peaceful village. He was one of the main people that helped bring his village to the victory circle. He wanted people to know that some things usually end in a peaceful manner. That's why he created the symbol of peace. That's also why he wrote that legend. So people will never forget where peace came from."

"How many legends did he write?" Zelda asked.

"He wrote a good amount of them, but some of them have never even been published," Cherry said, "In fact, he didn't want people to know about some of them. That's why those stories are kept in secret documents inside the secret compartment of the museum. That secret compartment is a secret I'm not allowed to tell. It's in the one place that even I'm not allowed to go into. Anyway, that's all there is to know about this sweet vase. Let's head out to our next destination."

"Wait a minute," Nick said, "If Peace Powers didn't want to publish any of his legends, who has them now?"

"His legends are passed down from generation to generation," Cherry said, "They're inside the museum, but even I don't know where they are. The only person that has access to them is Clutch Powers. He's never told anybody about the legends. He said that they were family legends only. Nobody else needed to know anything about them."

"What if something bad happened and those legends are the only way to figure out the cause of it?" Brad asked.

"Clutch Powers would be the only one to make that announcement," Cherry said, "Okay, that enough about Peace Powers and his legends. Let's get a move on."

I started walking away, but before I moved any further, I saw Brad standing in front of the vase. I ran back over to him. "Brad, come on. We don't need to get separated from the group."

"Lloyd, this vase looks familiar," Brad said, "It's like I've seen it somewhere before. I just don't remember where."

"Brad, it's a vase. We'll learn more about it another day. Let's go."

"Aha!" Nick exclaimed, "You guys are breaking the rules. I'm telling Headmaster Wu."

"Oh, Nick, would you just zip those lips of yours?" Zelda asked.

"What are two doing here?" Monica asked, "Why are you separated from the group?"

"Why are you guys separated from the group?" I asked.

"Because we wanted to know why you two were."

"Brad got distracted by the vase. I came back over to see why, but he's just staring off into space. He won't tell me."

"Well, it looks like we lost Brad forever," Nick said, "Which isn't a problem to me or anything. Let's go."

"We're not leaving without Brad," I said. I snapped my fingers in front of Brad. "Come on, Brad. We need to get going."

"I can't leave," Brad said, "The vase is speaking to me."

"How is the vase speaking to you? It can't talk. It doesn't even have a mouth. All it has is a peace symbol painted on it."

"The symbol is speaking to me in my mind."

"He's hopeless, Lloyd," Nick said, "You might as well just forget about him."

"I'm not forgetting about him," I said.

"What's so important about him all of a sudden? Just because he lost his parents doesn't mean that he's so important." I looked at him, but Nick still had a straight face. "You think I can't hear you guys taking? I'm not that stupid."

I snapped my fingers again. "Come on, Brad. We need to get going. We're already falling behind with the rest of the class."

"Uh, guys, are symbols from vases suppose to glow?" Monica asked.

We all looked to see that the race symbol on the vase was glowing. I don't think that's normal. "I don't think so. Something must be triggering it." Brad started walking up to the vase. His hand started reaching for the symbol. "Brad, don't touch it!"

We all grabbed Brad. Before we could stop him, he touched the symbol, making a glowing vortex appear in the room and sucked us all in. We were surrounded by bright light. A moment later, everything went black.

* * *

 **DID YOU ALL LIKE THIS CHAPTER? I'M JUST ASKING. A VASE WITH A STORY BEHIND IT. LEGENDS THAT ARE UNKNOWN TO THE CITIZENS OF NINJAGO. LOOS LIKE LLOYD AND HIS FRIENDS ARE IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE.**

 **WHERE DID THEY GO? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM? WILL THEY EVER MAKE IT HOME?**

 **BY THE WAY, I HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW. NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GO. IT'S PRETTY COLD WHERE I AM, ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M LIVING IN THE SOUTH.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	16. A World Inside the Vase

CHAPTER 15

A WORLD INSIDE THE VASE

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I had blacked out. It felt like I only came to a moment later. My mind was becoming fuzzy. My sight was good enough for me to see, but I felt like I was in a different world. Once my mind was back to normal, I stood up, almost falling on my own two feet. It didn't look like we were in the museum anymore. We were in another place. I wasn't very sure where the place was, but I knew we were somewhere. All I saw was a bunch of trees surrounding us and we were right beside a trail. Wherever that vase to us to, it seems that we're stuck here. We're not sure how the vase brought us here or how it will bring us back home. It's all so confusing. I had remembered that I came here with everyone else. I rushed over to them to make sure they were still alive.

They were, of course. They were all breathing and I could feel a pulse. Nothing out of the ordinary. They must have blacked out as well when we got here. I wish there was a sign that we could have so we would have a way to figure out where we are. All this wandering around while being alone is starting to scare me.

Luckily, somebody in the group started waking up. Well, all of them started coming to. Nick was the first person to shoot up like a rocket and come running at me, tackling me to the ground as though he were a football player. Everybody else shot up and ran towards Nick and dragged him off of me. He started breathing heavily, and so did I.

I stood back up. "Nick, what is going on with you?"

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I did that for a reason," Nick said, "If you had just left Brad all by himself at that vase, we wouldn't be in this mess right now. It seems you have to be the good guy and do whatever you can to help out the enemy."

"Brad is not the enemy."

"Yes, he is!"

"You wanna know who the real enemy is here?"

"Who?"

"It happens to be you."

Nick stood there in silence. I didn't know if he was going to say anything else so I turned away from him. That's when he tried to tackle me again, but Zelda and Monica were able to stop him from letting that happen. I turned back around to see that Nick`s face was redder than anything I've ever seen before. In all the time I've known Nick, he has never been this angry with me.

Nick yanked his arms from Monica and Zelda`s grip. He sat over on the other side of us on a log, giving me a stern glare. "I blame you for all of this, Lloyd."

"Go ahead," I said, "Blame me for everything. It seems to me that you think everything is my fault."

"Stop arguing, guys," Brad said, "It's my fault that we're in this mess. I'm the one that caused this whole thing to happen."

"What got you so zoned out, Brad? You said that the peace symbol on the vase was speaking to you." I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know. It kept saying that it knew where my parents were. I don't know if I can believe it or not, but I have a feeling that my parents might be here."

"How could your parents end up in a world like this? They were in Ninjago City when they went missing."

"Maybe some kind of mind control from the symbol triggered their minds to come all the way here. At least, that's what I think happened."

"You guys are both stupid to think that anybody might be here," Nick said, "Speaking of which, where the heck are we, anyway?"

"That's the question racing through all of our minds," Zelda said.

"It's like that peace symbol sent us to a different world," Monica said.

"Really?" Nick said, "We didn't notice."

"Okay, let's just settle down and think this through for a moment," I said, "Alright, so we were all inside the museum and we were standing in front of the vase. Somehow it started glowing and a huge vortex came and suck us all in. We blacked out and once we came to, we all found ourselves in a different world. We don't know where we are and we don't know what to do. Am I correct?"

"I think we all know the answer to that question."

"Nick said yes, Lloyd," Zelda said.

"Okay, now that we've taken care of that, it's time to go step by step of things," I said, "The first step is to figure out where we are."

"I just said that a moment ago," Nick said.

"You've already had your chance to talk, Nick. Don't say anything else." I looked at everyone. "Okay, I know the exact location that we're in. We're surrounded by trees and there's a trail right beside us. That means we must be in the woods."

"What do we do now?" Monica asked, "There's nobody out here that can help us."

"That means we have to help ourselves," I said, "The second step is to follow the trail until we can find a nearby village."

"What's the third step?" Zelda asked.

"I'll explain that on the way," I said, "Now let's get a move on."

"Do you even know what you're doing, Lloyd?" Nick asked.

"Of course I do. We're following this trail. It's the only trail we can follow. What other choice do we have?"

"I have a better idea. Let me lead this group and I'll figure out a way to get back to our own world. You and Brad can stay here if you want to."

"We're not leaving anyone behind," Monica said, "You're a horrible leader, Nick."

"I would rather follow Lloyd than you," Zelda said, "Lead the way, Lloyd."

"Well, looks like we figured out who the leader is," I said, "Come on, guys. Let's follow the trail."

Everyone followed me as I lead them through the woods. We started off at a good start. Towards the end, Nick started complaining that we've been walking for hours and we haven't seen a sign that led to a village. I got tired of hearing him complain. This was getting ridiculous. I saw something from up ahead. It looked like a sign, but I needed a closer look. I walked up faster until I finally saw that it was a sign leading to a place called Dunwood Village.

"Looks like you were complaining for no reason, Nick," I said.

"It still would be a lot better if I was leading," Nick said, "I was hoping that my complaining would make you let me become the leader of this group."

"Sorry, that's not gonna happen."

"I don't think I've ever heard of a place called Dunwood Village before," Brad said.

"That's because it's not located on the maps of Ninjago," Zelda said.

"I wonder if the people there will be willing to help us," Monica said.

"I'm sure they will," I said, " Let's continue, everyone."

Before we went any further, the noise of horses trampling on the ground was heard from behind us. A horse carriage was coming for us. We all jumped out of the way to let it pass. We were all off the trail. The horse carriage stopped once it had just turned. The door to the carriage opened, revealing a man with gray hair and wearing a black suit with at least two or three undershirts. He climbed down the steps and walked towards us.

His eyes narrowed down at us. "Are you children alright?"

I looked up at him. Being the leader, I had to speak to others in order to help my team. "Yes, we're alright."

"You children shouldn't be playing in the road like that. Horse carriages come down this trail all the time."

"Sorry about that. We're kind of lost and we don't know where to go."

"Where do you live?"

"We don't live anywhere around here. You see, we're from a different world. Somehow, we got suck into this vortex that a peace symbol made after it started glowing. The symbol was on a vase. We were inside a museum where the vase was located at."

"Lloyd, you're talking backwards," Zelda said.

"I don't think I can believe any of that, young one," the man said, "If anything, I believe that you must be lying. I don't believe in anyone ever getting sucked into a vortex and ending up in this world. I have a feeling that your orphans and you ran away from your orphanage due to the fact that the last one you lived at treated you with unkindness and with harsh living conditions."

I looked at everyone else. They thought I had the answer so I went along and said something. "Yes, we are orphans."

"I had a feeling you were. Come along, children. I know of a much better place you can live at."

Zelda tapped my shoulder. "Lloyd, are you sure that we should go with this man? We don't know who he is. We don't even know his name."

"This is pretty much the only choice we have," I said, "Don't worry, Zelda. I'll take care of everyone. I promise."

She grabbed my hand as I embraced it into mine. She smiled at me and being the kind of person I am, I smiled back. I led her to the carriage where the man helped us in since we were too short to climb the steps. Looks like we were heading off to a new place.

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE THE KIDS ARE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD. THIS IS STARTING TO GET WEIRD. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM?**

 **I HAVE A TEST IN CHEMISTRY TOMORROW. WISH ME LUCK AND PRAY THAT I PASS.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	17. The Kingdom of Nin

CHAPTER 16

THE KINGDOM OF NIN

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

It felt as though we we've bee riding in the carriage forever, but at least we got to know some information. The man that found us is named Gilead. He told us that he's the royal steward for the kingdom of Nin. He serves for the royal family and makes sure that they're safe at all times. He doesn't have a family of his own, even though he looks to be in his sixties, but he does have a sister. I may not have a sister, but at least I got a cousin. The horse carriage continued trampling down the road. This time I could hear the voices of civilians. Perhaps it was the people of the village of Dunwood. I moved the curtain a bit from over the window to see the village covered with people coming and going. The streets were crowded with villagers. Even animals. That's not really an issue, though. You see pets in the city with their owners all the time. The village was a lot like home, only more old fashioned and different.

The carriage started moving its way up a hill. I knew it was a hill because it was bumpy and rough. I looked out the window again to see a gigantic castle up ahead. I wasn't sure why Gilead was taking us there, but I didn't ask. He must of seen the expression on my face because he cleared his throat.

"I would like to take you all up to meet the king and queen," Gilead explained, "They'd be happy to give you a place to live. There is a catch, though. If you are to live there, you must do the one thing they command in order to stay."

"What will they tell us to do?" I said, concerned about the rest of the group. At this moment, I wasn't concerned about myself at all.

"It depends. There was this one time where the head maid brought a little girl to the castle and asked if she could live there. The little girl had to do only one thing and that was to write and send messages. It won't be anything hard. It's just something simple. After all, messages don't always come and go in the castle."

"I wonder what they'll make us do."

"Whatever they command you to do, I'm sure it won't be difficult."

The carriage stopped. All of us fell out of our seats. Except Gilead, of course. I suppose he was used to the carriage jerking to a stop. We all stood back up as the door to the carriage slowly opened. Gilead stepped out first and helped the rest of us down. He led us all to the castle and into the throne room. Sitting there was no big surprise. We were about to meet the king and queen.

"I just hope the king and queen are nice," I said.

Gilead cleared his throat. "Your royal Highnesses. I present to you five orphanage children."

We all presented ourselves, bowing and curtsying in respect of the royals. The king stood up in front of us. "Good day, young children. What brings you to the Kingdom of Nin?"

"Your Majesty, my friends and I have run away from our orphanage," I said, "We are lost and have nowhere to live. We were found by your royal steward in the woods. "

"Runaway orphans? I figured. Most foster children run away from their orphanages due to harsh living conditions and bad tempered orphanage mothers. I suppose you children know what I mean."

"We do, your Majesty."

"What are your names?"

"I am Lloyd. These are my friends. This is Zelda, Monica, Nick, and Brad."

"What beautiful and peculiar names," the queen said.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the king said, "I am King Carl. This is my wife, Queen Rebecca."

"It's an honor to meet you, King Carl and Queen Rebecca," I said.

"I suppose Gilead has told you that living arrangements can be made for runaway orphans. We have plenty of room for children like you all."

"We are kind of tired, your Majesty. We've been traveling all night."

"We have plenty of rooms for all of you, but you'll have to share," Queen Rebecca said.

"We don't mind," I said, "We've shared a room with each other all our lives."

"Excellent," King Carl said, "Gilead, can you lead them to their rooms?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Gilead said, "Come along, children. Let's get you all settled in."

We followed Gilead through every hall and every corner. The castle was huge. I didn't know if we were even gonna make it to our rooms by sundown. Just an hour ago we were sucked into this world and now we were living inside the castle with other orphans that we don't even know. We weren't even orphans. At least we're on the king and queen`s good side. I don't think anybody would like it if we made them angry. I sure wouldn't like it.

Gilead placed the girls inside their room first. I was worried about them getting separated from us. The worry ended when I saw that we were living in the room next to them. Gilead looked at us. "This here is your new room. Treat it with respect. I expect to see it cleaned up and tidy every morning. I know how boys can be. Especially little boys. Enjoy your room for the time being. I'll see you all at dinner."

We entered the room and closed the door. Nick flopped on the bed the second we step foot inside. "Well, it looks like I'm stuck in here with you two. I guess I'll have to live with it for a while. I hate the look of this room."

The room didn't have much of a bad look. It had three beds and a dresser to fit everything in. There was a closet and a little area to play in. What more could anyone ask for?

I looked at Nick. "I think it looks pretty nice. It has our needs."

"Yeah, but we don't have any of the stuff that we need," Nick said, "All the stuff that we had was left back in our world."

"Guys, we had to come here," Brad said, "The vase said that it knew where my parents were. For some reason, I just have the sense to believe it."

"You know what I think of you as."

"What?"

"An idiot who thinks that vases can talk."

"The vase didn't talk to me. The peace symbol did. It started glowing so it could show you that I was telling the truth. It created the vortex because it must be trying to tell us that my parents might be here."

"I don't believe anything you just said."

"I do, though," I said, "If that's what he said he saw, then I have to take his word for it. It could be obvious that your parents could've seen a peace symbol somewhere while they were out. There are peace symbols everywhere in Ninjago. There's only one person that created it."

"Peace Powers!" Brad exclaimed.

"That's right. Peace Powers was the only one who created it. There has to be a reason why it made us come to this world. The king and queen said that we were in the land of Nin. The land wasn't called Ninjago until 1942. The first spinjitzu master was only sixteen years old when he created Ninjago. What year was it when Peace Powers created the peace symbol?"

"Would you like to know the month and date as well?" Nick asked.

"It doesn't matter," I said, "Just tell me."

"He created it on June 22, 1903. It was made before the first spinjitzu master was ever born."

"He was born in 1926. It was during the era of the Nin Depression. We were able to get through our depression by the time everyone else started going through theirs."

"That's because the monarchy decided to step down from its position and turned Ninjago into a democracy. It's how we ended up with a president and governor to rule over us."

"Maybe the vase made us time travel into this world," Brad said.

"That would be better than nothing," I said, "There's just one question, though. What year is this?"

"That's what I'm wondering," Nick said, "Are we in 1903 or are we way before that?"

"We have to be in 1903," Brad said, "The peace symbol wouldn't bring us here for no reason."

"Why would it bring your parents here, though?" I asked.

"How should I know? All I know is that they're here and we need to start looking for them."

"There's just one little problem," Nick said, "There's no way we can start doing that. We're living inside the castle as orphans."

"We'll figure something out, guys," I said, "I promise."

The door to the room opened, revealing Gilead. "I have come to tell you that dinner is ready." He closed the door.

"Does anybody even know what they serve here?" Nick said.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's something good," Brad said, "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."

"I can't think on an empty stomach," I said, "Come on, guys."

We walked out of the room and went down the hall. We saw the girls exit out of the room and motioned for them to follow us. Looks like we were stuck here for a while until we can figure something out. I just hope our families aren't too worried about us.

* * *

 **WELL, LOOKS LIKE I UPDATED YET ANOTHER CHAPTER. THE KIDS ARE TRYING TO SOLVE A MYSTERY THAT I'M PRETTY SURE THEY CAN SOLVE IT. WILL ALL THE SECRETS BE SOLVED?**

 **I'M KIND OF SAD RIGHT NOW. I RECIEVED SOME NEWS, BUT I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW. THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS, THOUGH. I MADE AN A+ ON MY SCIENCE TEST. THAT'S GOOD.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	18. Jobs

CHAPTER 17

JOBS

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

We all settled down for dinner. We saw a whole bunch of children gather around the table. I began eating as soon as I got there, but I ate with manners since I was living in the castle. Well, for a short time. Nick sat across from me, thinking it would be the farthest that he could get get from me. Brad and Zelda sat on both sides of me while I was squeezed in the middle. Monica Sat next to Zelda. We were all enjoying dinner in peace. I tried to, but Nick kept swinging his legs and kept on kicking me. I tried to bring up the nerve to tell him to stop, but my mouth wouldn't say a word. Zelda and Monica just ignored him. Brad looked at him, but didn't say a word. I know why Nick keeps trying to get back at me. He's still mad for me choosing Brad over him as a friend. Now Nick and I are known as acquaintances. Doesn't that count as being a friend? The doors to the dining room opened. It was Gilead with a piece of parchment in his hands. Nick stopped kicking me and looked at Gilead.

Gilead cleared his throat and began to speak. "We have new children joining us in the Kingdom Orphanage. Would these five children stand up? Lloyd, Zelda, Nick, Brad, and Monica." We all stood up, looking at everyone around us. Gilead continued. "You daily job has been given to you by me at this very moment in time. Lloyd, you are a farming duty. Brad, you are on washing duty. Zelda, you are on dusting duty. Nick, you are on polishing duty. Monica, you are on sewing duty. Remember your jobs because they are the only ones you have. By order of King Carl and Queen Rebecca, your chores will began tomorrow." He turned around to leave and faced us again, bowing in respect. "Good evening, children." Gilead closed the doors.

I sighed, seeing that I had a job here for the rest of my life when I should be looking for a peace symbol. Zelda tapped me on the shoulder. "We're not going to be in this world forever, are we?"

"Don't worry, Zelda," I said, "I told you that I would handle it." I wrapped her hand in mine. "You can trust me."

"Usually, when people say that, I don't trust them one bit, but you are my friend, Lloyd. I will always trust you."

Nick started kicking my legs again. I gave him a stern look. "Do you mind not kicking my legs?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nick said, "I didn't realize I was kicking you. Funny. My legs always seem to think otherwise."

"I understand that your mad at me, but you don't have to keep bugging me so much. I know your mad. I'm sorry I made you mad. If anything, you can accept that apology."

"Sorry, I can't. You didn't accept mine, so I won't accept yours."

"This is getting ridiculous. I can't believe you."

"I can't believe you at times, Lloyd."

"Can you guys stop fighting for a moment?" Monica asked, "None of that proves anything."

"It kind of does when you acquaintance decides not be around you anymore," Nick said.

"I don't mean not be hang out with you, Nick," I said, "I'm just having to help Brad with some stuff."

"If anything, I'd rather have him in a foster home than being at our home. Brad`s nothing but a troublemaker."

I gasped. "Take it back. Brad`s changed his ways and you know it."

"No, he hasn't. He hasn't changed. Why can't you just understand that?"

"Because I believe what I believe in. You can't change my mind."

"So it seems that I've become friends with a troublemaker from the start. Our friendship hasn't even lasted for that long and now your leaving me to dry."

"It's your fault. Your the one that keeps thinking that you're right."

"I am right, and you know it."

"No, you're not. You're wrong. Your always wrong."

"I am never wrong. I am a genius. I'm intelligent. You know that as well as I do."

"I don't think I know you at all."

"You do know me. You've known me for so long."

"No, I don't."

"Take it back. Take it back right now."

"No."

"Stop the fighting!" Zelda shouted. Everyone looked in our direction. Zelda gave an embarrassing smile. "My apologies. It won't happen again." Zelda looked back in mine and Nick`s direction. "Listen, all this fighting is getting the both of you nowhere. I know exactly what's going on. You two are arguing about the fact of whether or not Brad has changed. In my opinion, he has. Lloyd thinks he has as well, but Nick here doesn't believe it. I think that we should take this into a civil manner and tell our side of the story. Lloyd, you go first."

"I know Brad has changed," I said, "Nick doesn't believe it because he still thinks that Brad is playing around and is gonna give out a huge prank soon. I've been hanging out with Brad long enough to know that he has changed. Gene wouldn't be picking on him for a reason, you know."

"What Lloyd's saying is wrong," Nick said, "Brad hasn't changed at all. He's still his old self. He always has been and he always will. He may be pretending to be good now, but we've all known Brad long enough to see that he's never gonna change his ways. He'll be the bad guy for the rest of his life. If you ask me, all this stuff is a prank. Brad`s parents aren't missing. He's just hidden them so he can play his ultimate prank. That's my theory. I'm not very sure if it's right or not, but my guesses are what they are. You can't change my mind."

"So it seems that you two have different views of things," Zelda said, "Now you have given your reasons. Would you both like to tell Brad how you feel about him?"

"I'll go first," I said, "Brad, deep in my heart, I know you've change. Everybody at school does. Everybody in the neighborhood does. Well, almost everyone, but still, you're good at heart and I know it. If anything, I wouldn't give up on you. Not for the world."

"Thanks, Lloyd," Brad said, "That really means a lot. Especially when it comes from a friend."

"Nick, it's your turn to speak," Zelda said.

"Alright then," Nick said, "I do have a few things to say about you, Brad, and I'm not afraid to say it. You are nothing but a liar. A bunch of baloney just waiting to be eaten but never will be considering the fact that there's too much of you. None of us can stand you. I know that deep in my heart. I will never be your friend. Everybody thinks you've changed, but I will never believe it. I'm more intelligent than you. That's how it's meant to be. If you guys won't believe that Brad is still evil, then you're all idiots. Including you, Brad. You're the worst idiot out there."

"That's some hurtful stuff, Nick," Brad said, "That's really hurtful."

"Nick, you have never been the type of person to say such things," Zelda said.

"I've said them plenty of times before," Nick said, "I'm not afraid to say them now."

"I must say that you are the worse person I've ever known, Nicolas."

"You know how much I hate being called that."

"Well, get used to it because I'll say it all the time."

"All of this arguing is going straight to my head," Monica said.

"Why do you always have to act like a child, Monica?" Nick asked.

"Hey, don't talk about my cousin that way," I said.

"I can talk about anyone whenever I want to."

"No, you can't. You have no rights to be talking about anybody."

"No rights. According to the Documents of Ninjago`s Rights, Section one clearly states that I have as many rights as I please."

"You think you're so smart, but you're just an idiot. You won't believe that Brad`s changed. Your not intelligent if you don't know what that means."

"I don't have to have clues when I know that Brad hasn't changed his ways."

"Yes, you do. You have to have clues."

"Where does it state that I have to have clues for any reasons whatsoever?"

"It states it everywhere."

"Stop arguing!" Brad shouted, "I can take this anymore!" Everyone looked in our direction once again. This time, he smiled embarrassingly. "Sorry about that. I lost my temper." He turned his attention back to us. "Listen, guys, if you're gonna keep fighting about whether or not I've changed, then maybe it's best if I stop hanging around you two. I knew it was a mistake to make a friend when your other friends keeps fighting with you about whether or not you should be friends with them. All I care about is finding my parents. That's the end." Brad got up from the table and walked out of the room.

We continued eating the rest of dinner in silence. It makes me feel as though I'm alone with no friends to help me in the world that I've been sucked into. Of all the people that I had to stick with, why did it have to be these guys? If anything, I would rather stick with Zelda and that's it. Of course, I didn't say anything about that.

* * *

 **HERE YOU ALL ARE. THE NEXT CHAPTER TO MY STORY.**

 **I'LL GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU ALL WHY I WAS SO DOWN YESTERDAY. WE ARE HAVING TO FIND A NEW HOUSE IN MY HOMETOWN. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE THAT I'M LIVING IN NOW, BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE.**

 **ANYWAY, A LOT OF CONFLICT IN THIS CHAPTER. I DON'T KNOW WHY I GAVE THIS CHAPTER NAME JOBS. IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE.**

 **ANYWAY, I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	19. The Meaning of a Dream

CHAPTER 18

THE MEANING OF A DREAM

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

My dreams were the same as last times. Nightmares with a bunch of shadows. Only this time, the shadows were the bad guys and I was grown. Something happened while I was fighting them and I ended up turning back into a child. I woke up suddenly, sweat running down my forehead. It's like Nya had interpreted the dream even though I was nowhere near her. Only she was the one to see the whole thing when it wasn't shadows. Why was it passed down to my head? I didn't understand it. I decided to get ready for the day. The only clothing I could find was farm clothes. That's funny. I don't remember asking for these clothes. It clicked back into my head when I found out that I had farming chores to do.

I changed my clothes, skipping out on breakfast because I was scared to throw it back up when I smelled the aroma of the farm that I didn't plan on entering through my nostrils. The chickens laid eggs so I had to collect them. The cows needed milking, so I had to milk them. All the animals needed feeding, so I had to feed them. The last thing on my list was to pick up... let's just saw... cow fertilizer. I'll just state it that way. I thought it would take me ages to pick it up. All I had to do was shovel it in the cart and take it out to the farm owner so he could take care of it, but it seemed to be multiplying. I looked to see that the cows were coming by to do their business over and over again. It was almost lunchtime by the time I was finished. I didn't hesitate to take the fertilizer straight to the farmer.

"Thanks, sonny," the farmer said, "That's all that had to be done today. Those will be your daily jobs everyday. You should have them memorized by now. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, sonny."

I walked back inside the orphanage. I could smell bread wafting through the air fir miles. A bell rang stating that it was lunchtime. I didn't see Brad or Nick at the table, so they must still be working. Everyone else seemed to be finished with their chores. Monica and Zelda came to the table, tired as they can be.

"I was told to dust the entire castle," Zelda said, "I should've known was dusting duty would be like when it was given to me."

"I've never used a sewing machine before in my entire life," Monica said, "I was told to make blankets. I only get a ten minute break to relax my hands and maybe even go to the bathroom. Afterwards, I go right back to work. It took me hours to finish one blanket.;

"Just one?" Zelda said, "I do know a few tips about sewing. I wouldn't mind giving you a lesson or two."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew how to sew? I would've begged for the both of us to have our jobs switched."

"I suppose it didn't come to mind. It wouldn't matter, though. I'm worried that we will never get out of this world."

"Zelda, remember, I'm a ninja," I said, "Ninja never quit. I'm not gonna quit on anyone." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Especially you." She quickly held her arms out and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug back.

"Does anybody know where Nick and Brad are?" Monica asked, "I haven't seen them since breakfast this morning."

"Lloyd, why didn't you come to breakfast?" Zelda asked.

"I have farming duty, so I didn't eat anything before I went out there," I said, "I was scared that I would throw up."

"Oh. I understand."

A vision came through my head. I saw something. It looked like two silhouettes in a bright light. They looked like kids, but they were kissing. Somehow, there form got taller. I gasped when the vision was over. I would've fallen out of my chair if Zelda didn't grab my hand.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" Zelda asked.

"I keep having these dreams and now I had a vision," I said, "I don't know what to do about it anymore."

"Why don't you go ask the royal sorcerer?" Monica said.

"There's a royal sorcerer?"

"Yeah. He lives on the west side of the castle. He even has his own hall that is known as his home."

"Why do you think he can help me?"

"He's helped plenty of people before, especially with their dreams. You should go see him. He might be able to help. I hear that he can interpret dreams."

I sighed. "It seems that I don't have much of a choice. I'll go see him."

"Aren't you going to finish your lunch?" Zelda asked.

"I'll finish eating later," I said, "Right now, I need some help."

I left out of the room and started making my way towards the west side of the castle. I saw a sign that says sorcery`s realm. I looked at the door and saw some kind of symbol on it. It must be the symbol for sorcery. I knock on the door. It opened up, revealing a tall man in a dark blue robe wearing glasses. He looked at me with a smile.

"Hello, young one," the sorcerer said, "You must be one of those little guys from the Kingdom Orphanage."

"I'm new, actually," I said.

"New? Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Calebton the Sorcerer. The royal sorcerer, to be exact. Who may you be?"

"My name's Lloyd. I came to see if you could help me."

"Well, of course I can. Come on in. Sorry if it's a bit messy. I was in the middle of cleaning up. Feel free to take a look around."

I walked inside the room. "Wow. This place almost looks like a science lab."

"A science lab? What's that?" He walked up to me. "I'm eager to know."

"You don't have science labs here?"

"Nope, only magic and potions. Although, we do have some creations, but they weren't created in a science lab."

"Listen, I'm not from this world. I came here with a few friends after getting sucked through a vortex after we encountered a peace symbol on a vase."

"A peace symbol? You mean the one that my friend Peace Powers is currently making?"

"You know Peace Powers?"

"Know him? He's a wonderful family friend. His village suffered through a war last year. After only one war, the other village surrendered and made peace. Peace Powers never forgot it. He was one of the few that helped bring the war to peace. Now he's working on a Ninjian symbol for it."

"How long has he been working on it?"

"Maybe about a couple of weeks. I don't know, but I received a letter from him yesterday. We try to keep in touch."

"Cool."

"Now that we have that covered, what is it that you needed my help with?"

"I keep having these dreams and I just had a vision a few minutes ago. Do you think that you might be able to help interpret it?"

"I already have."

"You have? What does it mean?"

"Things will happen in the future when you least expect it. I will say that one kiss will get you back to your own world. Back to the year of... 2016? We haven't even made it to that time period."

"That's where I'm from. I'm from the future."

"The future?" His face came closer to me. "Tell me what it's like."

"Are you eager to learn or something?"

"Yes, I'm interested in a lot of things. For example, I like discoveries, music, magic, history and literature. Science is great, but arithmetic I can't stand. Even though I use it to help measure my potions, I still hate it."

"Nobody like math."

"I didn't say math. I said arithmetic."

"That's what arithmetic means. It's just a longer way of saying math."

"There is so much I have to learn about your time period."

A knock came on the door. It opened, revealing Gilead. "Hello, Lloyd. I see you've met the royal sorcerer. Well, down to business. Calebton, the king needs to see you at once. He has a little bit of a... rabbit problem."

"Again?" Calebton said, "That's the third time this month. I'm on my way, Gilead."

"Please hurry. The queen`s doing all she can to keep the rabbits calm." Gilead walked out of the room.

I looked at Calebton. "Rabbit problem?"

"Yes," Calebton said, "The king tries to practice magic himself, but it doesn't usually end quite well. I'm usually stuck having to fix it up. Perhaps we can talk another time."

"How about tomorrow? I'll bring up my friends to meet you. We all need some help. You seem to be the only one who knows anything."

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow."

I left out of Calebton`s workshop and started heading back to my room. I had to tell the others. If anything, they need to know what's going on more than me.

* * *

 **HEY, GUYS. I'M KIND OF TIRED TONIGHT. LOOKS LIKE LLOYD MEETS THE ROYAL SORCERER.**

 **MY MOUTH HURTS, SO I CAN'T TALK NORMALLY. I HAVE AN ULCER. THIS ONE HURTS PRETTY BAD. ALSO, SCHOOL LET OUT EARLY TONIGHT DUE TO WINTER WEATHER.**

 **ANYWAY, I HOPE EVERYBODY LOVED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	20. Back in Ninjago

CHAPTER 19

BACK IN NINJAGO

 **WU`S POV:**

It's been two days since Lloyd and the other went missing. We didn't even noticed they were gone until lunchtime came around. I knew there was something strange going on when we went to that museum. Once we knew they were missing and couldn't find them, we left the museum early and sent the other students back home. The ninja and I did everything we could to search for them. Posters, the news, everything. All we had to do was be patient. Unfortunately, the others couldn't wait, especially my brother and his wife. The masters were becoming worried warts about the beloved green ninja. We invited Miss Allyman over everyday after her daughter went missing with the others. Kitty and her family were worried about Nick. My wife and I were worried about Monica. We weren't sure how she was handling being alone. I'm pretty sure everyone was worried about Brad. It was more impatience than it was waiting.

We were all in the living room, watching the news to see if there was any luck in finding the children. I was sitting on the couch drinking my usual cup of tea. The anchorwoman said there was no sign of the children and the museum was still being searched. I wasn't sure why they were searching the museum, but if they think the children might be in there, I suppose that alright as well. We didn't get to hear the rest of it because the television suddenly went off. We turned to see that it was my brother.

"They won't have any luck finding them there," Garmadon said, "We'll be lucky if they ever get found at all."

"They'll find them, dear," Misako said, "I know they will. There are times when I do think they should find them now."

Garmadon walked over to me. "You really must start keeping a watchful eye on those students, especially the children that live here in this house."

"I always keep my eyes and ears out," I said, "They've ran off somehow without me even knowing. If anything, they could be anywhere in Ninjago."

"That's what you think, brother."

"Boys, let's not start a conflict here," my wife, Lora, said, "We are all worried about our children here, but it's not a topic that we should be fighting about. If anything, we must be thinking about retracing our steps."

"Yes, retracing our steps," Miss Allyman said, "I'll do anything to find my little girl. Oh, Zelda, where could you be?" She started crying. Luckily, she had the comfort of Misako to help her.

"Jessica, why don't you come with me into the kitchen and I'll make you some tea," Misako said.

"Alright. I suppose that would be fine." They both walked out of the room.

"What were you saying, Lora?" Garmadon asked.

"I said something about retracing our steps," Lora said, "The best way to figure out where the children went is by going back to the places that you went to the day they went missing."

"I can't remember all the places we went to," I said.

"There had to be something that they were interested in. Tell me. What did they want to know about more than anything else inside that museum."

"I suppose I remember that." I gasped. "The vase!"

"What vase?" Garmadon asked, "What does a vase have anything to do about all this?"

"Garmadon, he's talking about a historical vase," Lora said, "What kind of vase, darling?"

"It was the vase that was created by Peace Powers, grandfather of Clutch Powers," I explained, "It was the very first object to show the first peace symbol. There was a legend that went with it, but I don't remember anything about it. The children were asking questions and wanting to know more about the vase, but it was time to move on. That's when I noticed something strange about the group."

"Something must have happened when they were around the vase," Garmadon said, "We need to head out to the museum."

"But Chitow City is four hours from here," Lora said, "Besides, the museum is a searching ground. How will we be able to get in?"

"I think I might be able to help out with that," Nya said, "Since we enjoyed it there, Clutch Powers said that we could come back anytime we wanted without have to spend anything. Except for lunch, of course."

"We have to pay fir lunch?" Cole said, "That's outrageous!"

"We mutant waste anymore time," I said, "Let's get going."

We were all inside the bus, driving the four hours to get to Chitow City. Once we were there, we headed straight for the museum. Clutch Powers was standing at the front of the building, his arms crossed, but with a sympathetic smile on his his face. We all crawled out of the bus and walked towards him.

"You know, I'm only letting you guys look because your the ninja and your children are missing," Clutch said, "Before I let you in, though, how do you know that the children are here?"

"We just have that feeling is all," I said.

"Look, we don't have time to stand around here and chit chat," Garmadon said, "If my son is in there, I want to make sure he's safe. If you've hidden him anywhere inside that museum for some kind of experiment, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're closed down for life."

"Take it easy, sir," Clutch said, "I would never take children away from their families. Listen, I don't mind if you have a look around. Take the rest of opening hours to do so. If you not back out here by closing time, I'll have the police look for you. I don't want anything happening to you."

"It will only be for a few minutes," I said, "We won't be long."

We walked inside the museum. We brought ourselves to the elevator and went to the second floor. We walked passed different artifacts and discoveries made until we found what we were looking for. The vase with the first peace symbol upon it.

"This is it," I said.

"I can't believe our children were interested in a vase," Garmadon said.

"Well, you know how Zelda can be," Miss Allyman said, "She's the type of person who's interested in so many things."

"Monica is the same way," Lora said.

"How can something like this distract anybody?" Jay asked, "If you ask me, I think this vase is a piece of garbage that artifacts found and sticked it inside this museum."

"I don't know how Nick is interested in anything here," Kitty said, "He's already studied everything in the known universe. Why stick around this thing? What do you think, Kai?"

Kai didn't answer. His eyes were glued to the symbol on the vase. Kitty snapped her fingers in front of Kai, but he still wouldn't respond.

"Is something wrong, Kitty?" Nya asked.

"There seems to be something wrong with your brother. He won't answer me."

Nya walked up to her brother. "Kai, are you alright? Kai."

"The vase is speaking to me," Kai said.

"That's ridiculous," Jen said, "It doesn't even have a mouth to talk with."

"It's not the vase. It's the peace symbol."

"I think Kai is becoming _loco_ ," Carol said.

"Okay, Kai, cut it out," Cole said, "You're scaring Carol."

"Kai, look at us," Zane said.

"The vase is creating something," Kai said.

"Creating what?" I asked, "Kai, snap out of it."

The peace symbol started glowing. A glowing light was in front of us. A vortex had been created. The force was so strong that we were all sucked into it. I wasn't sure how long we were in there, but it felt like a whole minute. Suddenly, a bright light came upon us and we saw this brand new place upon us. We all landed on the ground, dizzy from being sucked inside a portal looking vortex. I looked around at our surroundings. It looked as though we were inside some kind of forest.

"I can't believe it," I said.

"I don't think I can believe any of this," Garmadon said, "How in the world did we end up here?"

"It looks as though the vase is some sort of time traveling machine," Jen said.

"Time machine?" Kitty said, "Those things don't even exist."

"I'm pretty sure they do."

"It doesn't matter, _mi amigas,_ " Carol said, "The only thing we should be thinking about is getting out of here."

"No, wait," Zane said, "I sense that this place also has Lloyd and the others."

"Where are they?" Garmadon asked.

"I don't know. My senses doesn't say."

"There is only one way to find them," I said, "We must go and search for them ourselves. This way, everyone. We will find them."

I led the group through the woods. This was the best way to find the ones we were missing. On foot. Besides, it's not like we can't find what we're looking for.

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE THE NINJA AND MISS ALLYMAN HAVE ENTERED INTO THE SAME WORLD AS LLOYD AND THE OTHERS HAVE.**

 **LOOKS AS THOUGH I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY. I'LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN MONDAY. I'LL BE POSTING A CHAPTER OF MY NINJAGO APOCALYPSE STORY TOMORROW.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	21. Lloyd Tells the Others

CHAPTER 20

LLOYD TELLS THE OTHERS

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I ran back to the room as quick as lightning. I had to tell the others everything that I just heard. As I was running, I almost ran into a little girl that looked younger than me and was wear it a very poofy dress. She was smiling so big, I thought it would freeze that way. I don't think anybody's ever told her that considering that it's 1903 and that phrase has never been used. I was trying to walk past her, but she kept blocking me. I decided to bow in respect, hoping that's what she wanted. I tried to make my runaway again, but she still kept blocking me. This was starting to become irritating. I backed away from her, this time getting a good start on my sprinting. Unfortunately, it didn't go as plan. She was still standing in front of me, no matter what I did. Not only was all this irritating, but this little girl was as well.

"What are you doing?" I asked, "I need to get back to my room so I can give my friends some news. I can't do that when you keep blocking my way."

"I thought we were playing a game," the girl said, "You run, and I'll keep blocking you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Isabelle. Princess Isabelle, to be exact."

I remember the exact references of where I heard of her from. She's the same Princess Isabelle that became the wife of King Williams when she was sixteen. She helped in plenty of different battle. She was the only woman who signed the Ninjago Peace Treaty to end the war. She was also the first woman to sign an important document in Ninjago. The Ninjago Independence Form of 1929. During that time, the Great Depression in the land was wearing off and inventions started becoming popular.

"I guess I recognize you now," I said, "Why are you here? I need to get back to my friends. I need to tell them something."

"But I want somebody to play with me," Princess Isabelle said, "My brothers won't play with me so I thought that you would."

"Sorry, but I don't have time right now."

"Pretty, pretty, please. Just for a few minutes."

"I really need to get going."

"I promise I won't bother you anymore after that."

"Listen, I'll play with you later. Right now, I need to find my friends."

"But I want somebody to play with me."

"Shouldn't you be playing with dolls or something. I'm sure you have a bunch of them."

"I do, but I've already played with all of them."

"Then go play with them again. I'm in a hurry."

"Will you play with me later?"

"Yeah, maybe. I'll keep it in mind.

"Do you promise?"

"I don't think I can keep it."

"But you have to promise me."

"Sorry, I gotta go."

I ran away from that princess, thankful that I finally escaped from her. She's so annoying. I finally made it back to my room. Nick was sitting on the bed, reading a book that I figured he found somewhere in the room. Brad was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Brad?" I asked.

"I don't know," Nick said, "I guess he's still doing his chores."

"But everyone stops doing their chores before lunch even starts. Why is he still working?"

"Maybe to get away from me. I don't know."

"Well, until he gets back, I have something to tell you."

"Can't you see I'm trying to read?"

"Come on. Just listen to me for one minute."

Nick placed his book on the bed and sat up. "Alright, what is it?"

"I met the royal sorcerer today."

"The royal sorcerer? I didn't even think anybody like that exists."

"They do. Anyway, he told me some thing that interested me. I figured some things out. We are in the year of 1903. Plus, he knows Peace Powers."

"What is the royal sorcerer`s name, anyway?"

"Calebton."

Nick started laughing. "That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard."

"It's his name. I don't think you should be making fun of him."

"What did he say?"

"I just told you what he said. Weren't you listening to me?"

"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it again."

"Well, since you've already heard it, you need to help me find Brad. He needs to know about it, too."

"Why should he?"

"Because he's a part of this group. He needs to know about it, too."

"Did I not tell you where he really is?"

"You just told me he was finishing up with his chores. Why are you lying to me."

"Because I thought it would be funny. Now it's starting to become boring."

"Where is Brad?"

"He didn't tell me where he was going. I saw him with a bag and he left a not on his pillow."

"You didn't think that was suspicious?"

"No."

I stuck my tongue out at him and went over to Brad`s pillow, removing the note off it. I read what I hoped never to read.

 _Dear Friends,_

 _It seems that nobody wants me around, especially in Ninjago. I'm tired of trying to make friends. I became good because I was tired of being treated like garbage. I didn't want people to fear me. To be honest, Gene was more fierce than me. I was really hoping that Nick would just somehow forgive me, but it seems that's never going to happen. No matter what I try to do, he always seems to hate my guts even more. I suppose nobody is going to help me find my parents, so I've decided to go out on my own and find them myself. If I don't come back, then go back home without me. I'll be a lot better out here than back home. Lloyd, I'm glad to have called you a friend. Thanks for helping me try to find my parents. I really appreciate the help. I wish you a long and happy life. Hopefully Nick will have a great life, even if he can't stand me. Well, I wish you all a wonderful life._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Brad._

I set the not down of the nightstand. I looked at Nick, who continued reading on his bed. The anger inside me was rising so high. Nick looked up at me for a moment. He placed his eyes back on his book. I started breathing heavily. Without warning, I made a war cry and pounced on top of Nick.

I started fighting Nick. The first thing I did was start punching him continuously in the face. Nick regained his strength and yanked me off him. He kicked me in the stomach. I felt as though he broke one of my ribs. I saw the cut that I formed on his cheek. I didn't notice that his fist was coming right towards my eye. I moved out of the way, kicking him in the face. He came up and pounced on me. He started doing what I did to him before, only this time he kept punching me repeatedly. The door to the room opened as I punched Nick`s eyes. I saw that I actually punched his glasses off his face, breaking the left lenses. Monica and Zelda came into the room, along with Gilead, who separated the both of us.

"What in the name of Nin is going on in here?" Gilead asked.

"Lloyd started it," Nick said, "I was just sitting on my bed reading a book."

"He's lying," I said, "He's the one that started this whole thing. He's the reason that Brad decided to run away."

"Brad ran away?" Zelda asked.

"Where did he go?" Monica asked.

"I don't know," I said, "He left a not, though. It's on the nightstand."

Gilead put the both of us down and picked up the note. He started scanning it with his eyes. His eyes glared upon mine and Nick`s. "It seems to me that the both of you are lying. It states here that Brad went to search for his parents. I can tell that Nick started this according to the letter, but that doesn't mean the both of you are on dishes duty. No buts about it." Gilead left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Zelda grabbed my hand and placed me on the bed. "I'll take care of you, Lloyd. Monica, you take care of Nick. Let's go get some bandages for them."

"What about Nick`s glasses?" Monica asked. "The left lense is broken."

"We'll find him another pair. Come on."

The girls left the room. I didn't make direct eye contact Nick. He didn't make any with me. I had the urge to wanna fight him again now that everyone else was gone, but decided against it. I was already in more trouble than before. Nick`s decision was the other way around. He pounced on me and started right back where we left off. Since he didn't have his glasses, I punched him right in the eye. He fell to the floor and I thought I had defeated him, but unfortunately, I didn't. He came back up and punched me right in the nose. I slammed against the wall, my left arm stinging pretty bad since I slammed it. Nick came back for me, but not before Zelda and Monica came back in, holding Nick down on the bed. Gilead came inside and removed him out of the room. Zelda helped me up, placing me on the bed, caring for my injuries. With all that just happened, I saw that Nick and I would never be friends again.

* * *

 **OH, NO. NICK AND LLOYD AREN'T FRIENDS ANYMORE. SOMETIMES I WONDERED HOW THEY BECAME FRIENDS IN THE FIRST PLACE. WELL, I WROTE THE STORY, SO I SHOULD KNOW.**

 **I PASSED MY SPANISH QUIZ TODAY. SO HAPPY. IF YOU EVER NEED HELP WITH SPANISH, I CAN HELP YOU. JUST OFFERING.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER. PLENTY MORE TO COME.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	22. Lloyd and Zeldas Talk

CHAPTER 21

LLOYD AND ZELDA`S TALK

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I didn't know what to expect out of the rest of the day. Somehow, Nick was able to come back into the room and give me some good punches in my face. Gilead ran inside the room and pulled him off me, now seeing that Nick was the one who started the fight, not me. I had no urge and I wasn't in the condition to even want to fight back. Gilead came back and placed me under bed rest, ing the royal physician treat my injuries. I wasn't told how long to stay in bed or how long it would be until my injuries healed, but I do know that I needed rest. I was told that since it wasn't my fault, Gilead decided to put Nick on dishes duty instead of the both of us. At least that was a good thing. I'm not sure if I even have the energy to look Nick in the eyes.

An hour after I was placed to bed, I fell asleep. All my energy was gone after fighting Nick and I needed to gain it back. Besides, I need to be well rested in order to go out and find Brad. My thoughts vanished as I heard the room door open. I didn't look to see who it was, so I pretended to be asleep. I felt a damp rag being placed on my head by a familiar hand. Although, I couldn't tell if it was either Monica or Zelda, so I sat up and took a look. It was Zelda, holding a bowl of warm water in her hand. She smiled at me real big. I'm not sure why I did it, but I smiled back, too. It makes me think that no matter what kind of bad things are going on, Zelda just seems to make your day.

"Are you feeling okay, Lloyd?" Zelda asked.

I sighed, leaning back against the pillow. "Well, I'm still kind of sore, but I'll live."

"I'm glad to hear it." Zelda sat up on the bed. "I want to know what really happened, Lloyd. Who started the fight?"

"I told you that it was Nick."

"I don't think you're being honest with me, Lloyd. I want to know who really started it."

I groaned, pretending to be in pain. "Ow, my arm is getting sore from being in this position. Can you find an extra pillow somewhere?"

"Of course, Lloyd." Zelda went over to Nick`s bed and grabbed the only pillow he had. She placed it under my sprained arm. "There you are, Lloyd. How does that feel?"

"Better. Thanks to you."

"Now about what we were discussing earlier."

"I already told you, Zelda. Nick was the one that started the whole thing. It was all him. I don't get why everyone's trying to blame me."

"Nobody is blaming you, Lloyd. I just want to know what happen. Have you and Nick had arguments in the past that you knew that you couldn't solve?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not a big deal. We took care of it."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Really? It didn't look like you were taking care of anything to me."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. I was the one who started the fight, but it's only because Nick was the cause of the whole thing. He wouldn't give Brad a chance this entire time and now he's gone."

"Lloyd, none of this is Nick`s fault. There's a reason why Brad ran away. He want to go out and find his parents on his own. He's tired of getting help. He did his best to find friends, and he did. That friend is you. Plus, Monica and I became his friends."

"Yeah, but Nick thinks otherwise. Did Brad do something in the past that made Nick so mad?"

"Yes. You made it happen."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're the reason why Nick can't stand being around Brad. When you two became friends, Brad was your enemy. You taught Nick to never trust the enemy. You decided to make the enemy your friend. Even after you and Brad became friends, Nick still didn't trust him. All because you told Nick that Brad shouldn't be trusted, and to this day, Nick still considers Brad the enemy. Now he considers you the enemy and you consider him the enemy. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I guess so."

"Don't say it like that. Give it a little enthusiasm."

"Why should I? Nick and I will never be friends again."

"I'm sure you two will figure out a way to make up."

"No, we won't. It's over, Zelda. I let Nick become my friend because he didn't have any. Now he's right back where he started. All because I decided to make the enemy my friend. I guess my uncle's words aren't as wise as I thought them to be."

"Don't say stuff like that, Lloyd. Headmaster Wu is a very wise person. He's helped me with problems all the time. I'm sure he's done the same for you."

"Plenty of times. Sometimes I just don't think his words mean anything."

"Words mean thousands of things, but word only has one meaning."

"Who told you that?"

"Foster Father Shellington used to be my schoolteacher back when I was still living in the orphanage. He taught me and the other orphans all kinds of things."

"Like what?"

"I have already told you one of them."

"Oh, yeah. I should've been listening."

Zelda sighed. "If anything, you should always be listening, Lloyd."

"Zelda, is it okay if I tell you a secret?"

"It depends on what type of secret it is. Is it good or bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that it's bad, but I can't say that it's good, either."

"So it's really in between?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean. Right in the middle."

"I suppose that's fair enough. What is it?"

"You need to promise that you won't tell anybody else."

"Does Monica know about it?"

"No."

"Does Nick know about it?"

"No."

"Does Brad know about it?"

"No. You're the only one that I'm telling it to. The only other people that know are the ninja and my family."

"Monica is your cousin. Why does she not know about it?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain that later. Listen. I need you to promise not to tell anyone."

"You have my word."

"No, you have to say it."

"I just did."

"Say that you promise."

"Alright, alright. I promise not to tell anybody else."

"Thank you. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Oh, enough already, Lloyd. Just tell me what it is." For the first time since I've known Zelda, I've never see her get so impatient before.

I took a deep breath. "Alright, here it is. There was a time when I was... older."

"Older? How do you mean?"

"There was a time when I was... fifteen years old."

"Fifteen? That can't be true. You just turned eleven."

"No. Stop interrupting me."

"You're the one that keeps hesitating."

"I know. I'm trying to figure out how to say it." I sighed. "Okay, here I go. When my father was still evil, he used this weapon that turned the ninja into kids. I don't know how, but he did it. When I figured it out, I knew I had to get them back to their older selves. We were at a comic book store and my uncle and Nya found us. We were trapped in a corner, trying to keep away from the sharp teeth of the Grundle. My uncle gave us this stuff called tomorrow's tea. It would turn the ninja back to normal and make the Grundle return to dust and bones. I knew that I would be in the midst of it, but I didn't care. Our lives were on the line. So what did I do? I threw it down. The ninja turned back to normal, the Grundle was gone and I... became older."

"Oh, my."

"Yeah. Well, that's the story."

"But how did you turn back into a child?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I don't exactly know how." I sighed, changing the subject. "Hey, what time is it?"

Zelda gasped. "Oh, no. It's sundown!"

"What's so bad about sundown?"

Zelda sighed. "I cannot keep it a secret, huh? It's time you knew."

"Knew what?"

A light started forming around Zelda. It started becoming so bright, I had to shield my eyes to keep myself from going blind. Once the light was gone, I removed my arm from my eyes. I gasped at the sight I saw. I mean, I saw Zelda, but she wasn't her normal self. It wasn't the Zelda that I knew. She was... older.

* * *

 **OMG! THIS WAS UNEXPECTED. ZELDA IS OLDER. THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING. WAIT, IT IS. I WAS THE ONE THAT PLACED IT IN THE STORY. BUT HOW THE HECK DOES ZELDA TURN INTO AN ADULT AUTOMATICALLY? HOW WAS SHE ABLE TO KEEP IT A SECRET?**

 **I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY. HAPPY TUESDAY, EVERYBODY!**

 **I HOPED YOU GUYS LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	23. Zelda Is Older?

CHAPTER 22

ZELDA IS... OLDER?

 **OLDER ZELDA`S POV:**

Lloyd was shocked by my changes. I already knew that, but I didn't think he would almost fall out of bed. I had to catch him, but that just made things worse. I moved away from him, frightened by what would happened next. Everything about my features had changed. My shoulder length hair that I used to wear in pigtails was know a long braid that I placed over my left shoulder. My clothing was the same, only with a few different designs while the rest had grown with me. My facial features were different. My eyes would sparkle more with the eye shadow and mascara I was wearing. I was wearing lipstick that I never thought I would wear. My teeth were whiter than they've ever been. If anything, people my age would call me the most beautiful woman they've ever seen.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I knew I was beautiful, but the truth was too hard to understand. Such a blasted curse. I've hated it for so many years. Well, not so many years, but just about enough of them. The changes don't hurt as much as they used to. The only thing that hurts is my heart. The beating in my heart just tells me what will happen. Now that I've shown Lloyd, I knew that he would go out and ramble on and on about it with everybody.

I had to make sure Lloyd never told a soul. I walked up to him. "Lloyd, it's only me. I want you to see that." I tried to touch his shoulder, but he flinched. "It's alright, Lloyd. It's only me. I'm still the old Zelda. I'm just... different."

"What happened to you?" Lloyd asked, "How did you end up this way? Did somebody make you this way? We're you born with this?"

"Lloyd, calm down. Give me a moment and I'll explain it all."

"I can't believe it, Zelda. How come you never told anyone about this?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to know. I was afraid people would run away with fear if I told them what happened."

"You do realize that I'm still lying right here in bed and I haven't ran away yet."

"No, but you were thinking about it."

"How we're you able to hide it from everybody? When did it all happen?"

"It's a lot to explain. It's also difficult to say."

A knock came to the door. Lloyd used his arm to swing me away. "Get in the closet! We don't want anyone knowing that you've turned into... an older version of yourself."

I did as I was told and placed myself in the closet, closing the door all the way. I tried it from the inside to make sure it didn't lock. It didn't, thank goodness. I closed the closet door just as I heard the bedroom door open. I thought I had heard Gilead`s voice.

"Lloyd, I came in here to check on you," Gilead said, Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, a little bit," Lloyd said.

"Good to hear. Once your injuries are healed, you can go back to you chores on the farm."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. What about Nick?"

"Nick will be staying in another room by himself tonight. I don't want anything else happening between the two of you. I'm only giving you one warning, Lloyd. Stay away from Nick."

"Okay, I will."

"Good. I brought you some supper. I suggest that you eat it so you won't be hungry in the morning."

"Okay. Thanks, Gilead."

"Anytime. I will be back later to check on you."

"Before you come in, knock on the door first so I know you're coming."

"I always do that. Good evening, Lloyd."

"Good evening, Gilead."

The bedroom door finally closed. I opened the closet door just a crack. "Is he gone?"

"He's gone," Lloyd said, "You can come out now."

I removed myself from inside the closet. It started smelling like sweaty socks in there. Being older means I'm more sensitive by the things I smell. I walked over to the bed that was next to Lloyd's and sat down. I sighed, watching him eat. There would be no way I would get any dinner tonight.

"What are you eating?" I asked.

"I think it's some kind of beef," Lloyd said, "I really don't know. Gilead didn't tell me what it was. All he said was that it was supper."

"You don't know what it is, but you're eating it, anyway?"

"Well, it's actually pretty good. Do you want some?"

"No, thank you. I think I'll skip dinner tonight."

"You'll be hungry by morning."

"There have been some nights where I haven't eaten dinner because it was too late."

"How did this happen to you, anyway?"

"I was only six years old. I don't know why, but I decided to play with the use of light magic. Somehow, I summoned a witch to come, but she wasn't a good one. She placed a curse on me, stating that I would turn into a sixteen year old girl at night and during the day I shall remain a child. Until my sixteenth birthday, I will remain sixteen forever if I... well, I don't really remember what I was suppose to do."

"So it's really a curse?"

"If that's what you think it is."

"Listen, Zelda, I'm sure we'll figure out something to break the curse."

"How? I've been searching from book to book for the last four and a half years to figure out how to break the curse. None of them have the answer. I don't think there's a reverse spell for a child who turns into an adult at night."

"How many spell books have you looked through?"

"I don't know. Maybe ten or fifteen of them."

"If you've already looked through that many, I don't think any of them would have a reverse spell."

"Oh, Lloyd, I'm almost eleven years old. One of these days I'm going to run out of time and I'll be stuck as a sixteen year old forever. I don't want that to happen."

"If you become sixteen years old forever, does that mean you're immune until the end of time?"

"It looks that way, but I don't want that to happen. I already have my life plan. I had planned to grow up and find my true love and marry him. We could have children and grow old together. The both of us would be together for the rest of our lives until the day of our passing."

"What if that stuff never happens?"

"I'll be miserable for the rest of my life, I suppose. Nobody will want to be with a girl that will never grow old and stays young forever."

"Maybe staying young forever isn't such a bad idea. Even if you are sixteen, you can still do whatever you want. You can even fake your age."

"That's just it. I don't want to pretend my age. I want to age like everybody else."

"If that happens, you could probably end up with health issues."

"You're not listening to me, Lloyd. If I stay sixteen years old forever, people are going to think of me as a witch. Then I will become an outcast and I'll be forced to leave Ninjago."

"I still have one question, though. How we're you able to hide this from other people?"

"It wasn't easy. I made sure that I went to bed once the sun was down. Some nights I ate dinner while others I just did without. I never left my room after sundown. Nobody ever knew about my little problem. Well, I should really call it a big problem. I've been able to keep it a secret for the last few years. Now that you know about it, I'm scared you'll blurt it out to the entire world."

"I don't think you should be keeping something like this a secret, Zelda. If anything, you need to tell somebody."

"That's the only thing you tell anybody about, Lloyd. I'm tired of that being your only answer. Why can't you just say that you'll keep it a secret?"

"Something like this shouldn't be kept a secret. I said the same thing to Brad. When his parents went missing, he tried to keep it a secret. I told him that if something like that stayed hidden, things would only just get worse. If you keep something like this a secret for long, everything will become worse over time."

"I can handle this myself, Lloyd. I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do, Zelda. I told you that I would always be there for you. I wouldn't care if you were younger than me, at my age or older than me, I'll always be there for you. I'll take care of you. I promise."

I sighed. "I believe it is best if I just go to bed, Lloyd. I should be back to normal by morning time."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Goodnight, Zelda."

I laid down in the bed and covered myself with the comforator, hoping that nobody would barg in while I was trying to sleep. With tears in my eyes, I cried myself to sleep, thinking about what the future may hold.

* * *

 **I WONDER HOW THE CURSE SHOULD BE REVERSED. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS? ANYBODY? I'M UP FOR ONE. HOW SHOULD THE CURSE BE REVERSED? OH, MY GOSH. THAT JUST RHYME.**

 **I'M NOT FEELING THE BEST TODAY. I'LL TRY NOT TO BE SO EWWW TOMORROW.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	24. The Truth and Escaping

CHAPTER 23

THE TRUTH AND ESCAPING

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The day that I told Calebton that my friends and I would come see him never happened. I was stuck in bed for three whole days before I could get back up on my feet. I've let Zelda stay in my room since I was scared that Monica would freak out if she saw Zelda older and all that. Once the three days were up, I was able gather everybody together, including Nick. He sticked to Monica the whole time because he trusted her more. The four of us took the long walk to the west side of the castle. When we got to Calebton`s door, we were left with a big surprise. There was a not taped to his door. I took it in my hand and started reading it. The words are what gave me a heartbeating shock.

 _To whom it may concern,_

 _I, Calebton the Socerer, have left on my yearly trip to gather some more magical herbs and spices. I will be gone for the entire month. I promise to write and return with some of the rare ingredients for my potions and spells. If you need any magical assistance, please go see my sister. I'm sure she'll be able to help you as well as I can. Well, I'll see you all in a month._

 _Yours truly,_

 _Calebton the Sorcerer_

I dropped the note on the floor. I kicked the door as hard as I could. I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, placing both my hands over my eyes.

A hand was placed on my shoulder. I didn't see who it was, but I knew the voice belonged to Zelda. "Are you alright, Lloyd?"

I sighed. "I just wanna go home, Zelda. That's all I really want. I wanna be with my friends and family. I wanna go back to school. I wanna go back to our time period. I know some of the stuff I'm saying is ridiculous, but all I wanna do is go back home and crawl in my bed and sleep for all eternity. If only I could do that."

"You can do all that, but the first thing we need to do is find some help. The not stated that Calebton had a sister that could help us with some of our magical needs."

"Yeah, but it didn't state whether or not she lived in the castle."

"She has to if she's the one that takes care of everything that magical in the kingdom."

We heard footsteps echoing through the hallways. A shadow appeared from the corner. A woman wearing a purple dress who had long black hair in a braid walk up and looked to surprised to see us. She didn't give us a stern look as to why we were around the royal sorcerer`s door. All she did was smile and say, "Why, hello, children."

My theory stated that she was a nice person. I walked up to her and held out my hand. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Lloyd."

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Lloyd." Instead of shaking my hand, the woman curtsied. "My name is Silvia. I'm the royal sorceress. Who are all your little friends?"

"These here are Monica, Nick and Zelda. We had somebody else before he ran away to try and find his parents. His name is Brad."

"Oh, okay. Well, I suppose you were standing next to my brother's workshop because you need some magical assistance. Am I right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, follow me. I'll lead you to my workshop."

We followed Silvia all the way to the east side of the kingdom. We stopped at a door, where Silvia removed a key out of her shoulder back. She placed it in the locksmith and the door opened. When we got inside, we looked in awe at the place. Her workshop was beautiful and neatly organized. Everything was where it needed to be. In all my years, I've never seen anything so organized before.

"Wow!" I exclaimed.

"I love the way you've decorated your workshop," Monica said, "Everything's so pretty."

"I love the way you've made sure everything in here is neat and orderly," Zelda said.

"It looks more like a lab than a workshop, but whatever floats your boat," Nick said, speaking for the first time.

"Oh, thank you," Silvia said, "You're all too kind. I have a really big problem when my workshop gets messy, so I make sure to keep it neat and tidy by the end of the day. You never know what a little magic can do for you. By the way, what's a lab?"

"Can we explain to her why we're really here,... Monica?" Nick asked, not speaking directly to me, but having somebody else speak to me.

"Uh, I don't know," Monica said, "I'll have to ask Lloyd. Lloyd, can we explain to Silvia why we're here?"

"Of course," I said, "I'll do the explaining, though."

"He said we can, Nick, but he'll do the explaining."

"Whatever," Nick said.

"You see, Silvia, we're not from this time period," I explained, "We're from the future. In the year of 2016, where technology helps us with our everyday lives and certain things are possible to happen. Heroes and villains that you never thought existed are real. In our world, things are different."

"Say no more," Silvia said, "I think I might be able to interpret this. All I need is a giant black pot filled with water and a few ingredients for my potions." With the wave of her magic wand, Silvia conjured up all that stuff. We watch Silvia add in a few ingredients before dipping her wand in the potion. "What I'm about to show you is what's going on here in the present. Then I will show the future in both our worlds. Allow me to say the spell." Silvia cleared her throat.

Oh, my magic, show these boys and girls

The present and future of both our worlds.

A portal was showing the present of this world in the year of 1903. A few things were shown. We saw a man creating the first peace sign of the vase. We all know who he is. Then we saw that people were going through their everyday normal lives. We saw that Brad was walking in the middle of the woods. He looked a bit tired, but I'm sure he had enough supplies to last him. The last thing we saw were some people I never thought we would see again.

"Guys, it's the ninja!" I shouted.

"And our families," Zelda said.

"What are they all doing here?" Monica asked.

"Looking for us," Nick said, "Why else would they be here?"

"Now let's see what the future is like in this world," Silvia said, pointing her wand towards the portal and changing the picture. We saw all the land go into chaos. It was a total mass destruction, but nobody knew what was happening. We didn't know what was happening. Silvia gasped. "Oh, no. This wasn't suppose to happen."

"What's wrong, Silvia?" I asked.

"When I looked at the future last week, everything was perfectly normal and people were going on with their daily lives. Now it's all total chaos and mass destruction. None of this was suppose to happen. What could've changed the future?"

"There's only one thing that could've done all this. Can we see what our world looks like, Silvia?"

"Of course. Let me get it to show up." Silvia showed us what Ninjago was like at this exact moment. It was normal and everything. "Now let's go a week into the future." When the future was shown, it didn't look like it was suppose to. It was the same. It was like something was making sure total chaos and mass destruction was supposed to happen. Silvia gasped again. "None of this was suppose to happen. I think I know what's going on. When you guys entered our world, it caused time to become different. Instead of things being normal, it's caused a sort of apocalypse to happen in both our worlds."

"Since we're not in our world anymore, things are becoming an apocalyptic scene, too."

"You guys have got to get out of our world and get back to your own before things become chaotic. You only have a week to do so."

"We don't know how to get back home," Monica said.

"We were sent here by a vase that had a peace symbol on it," Zelda said.

"Are you talking about the vase Peace Powers has created with the new symbol?" Silvia asked.

"That's the one," I said.

"If that's what sent you here, it might be able to send you back."

"Lloyd, we cannot leave our friends and family behind," Zelda said.

"We can leave Brad and his parents behind," Nick said. We all gave him a stern look. "Point taken."

"No, everyone that was sent here must leave," Silvia said, "Don't even think about leaving anybody behind. That would still cause a catastrophe."

"I suppose we are about to go on one of the greatest adventures of all time?" Zelda asked.

"We sure are," I said, "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

We all ran out of Silvia`s workshop and went back to the orphanage. We were able to pack individual bags for ourselves and gather up some food and thermoses of water. I also found a map of all Nin. It looked as though it was made and it had everything the future would have. Once everyone was packed, we all ran away from the orphanage, never looking back once.

* * *

 **EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE FOUND IMMEDIATELY. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD'VE SAID. THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN.**

 **IF YOUR WONDERING, I WRITE THESE CHAPTERS IN THE MORNING BEFORE SCHOOL. WRITING USUALLY CLEARS THE STRESS AWAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THERE I GO RHYMING AGAIN. ANYWAY, I HAVE A COUPLE OF TEST COMING UP. LET'S JUST HOPE I PASS THEM ALL. I MUST SAY THAT I WILL. I KNOW I WILL.**

 **WELL, ITS ALWAYS GREAT TO TALK TO YOU, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	25. First Night in the Woods

CHAPTER 24

FIRST NIGHT IN THE WOODS

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The entire day to escape from the castle shouldn't of taken that long. We were already at the entrance of the woods by the time it was sunset. That meant we needed to go ahead and pitch our tents. I didn't want the others to know about Zelda`s little problem. Well, maybe not right now, but in the near future. If there is a future, which I have faith that there will be. Once our tents were set up and the fire was made, Zelda had stayed with us for a few minutes until she descended into her tent and called it a night. I had asked her if I could bring dinner out to her a little bit later, and she said I could. I was able to gather some dry meat and fruit. I decided to put the meat over the fire to let it be moist. Once it was finish, I took some into the tent for Zelda. She was already in her grown form by the time I got in there.

She took the plate without hesitation. "Thank you, Lloyd."

"No problem," I said, "You know, now that we're out here, I think it's time you make plans on when you're going to tell everybody about this."

"I already have. Once we have everyone gathered around, that's when I'll say something."

"Oh, alright. I just wanted to make sure."

Zelda sighed. "You're right, Lloyd. I shouldn't be keeping this a secret. I don't get why I've always done it for the last four and a half years."

"Why did you do it?"

"I didn't want anyone to one. I thought that if they did know, then I would be considered an outcast. They would push me away and I would never be loved again."

"That's not true. No matter what the cause or the issue is, you'll always have people that love you. The personality that you have doesn't matter to anyone else. It only matters to you. A person loves other people for who they are, not because of what happens to them. I've known that my entire life, even the days when I was a bad kid. You told me about all this and my feelings haven't changed for you. I understand that a person's way of life comes from their heart. It always has and it always will. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. By the way, did you say that you have feelings for me?"

I started blushing. "Well, I meant that I had feelings for you in the way that a boyfriend would. No, wait. I meant that I had feelings for you in a way that a friend. Wait, wait. That's not right."

Zelda started laughing. "Oh, Lloyd. You can be so funny at times."

"Yeah. Well, I better go make sure that Monica and Nick haven't been taken away by robbers or kidnappers, if you know what I mean."

"Alright then."

"I'll come by to check on you later."

"Alright. I'll just finish up with dinner and go on to bed."

"Ok, goodnight, Zelda." I walked out of the tent, relieved to see that Monica and Nick were still sitting out here eating dinner. I was starting to get hungry, so I did the same thing. I grabbed my plate and started eating. Nick kept looking at me, but I decided to keep my eyes away from him. It didn't work, so I decided to just say something. "Listen, you don't wanna talk to me, you don't wanna listen to me and you don't wanna hear the words that come out of my mouth. Why are you looking at me?"

"I just wanna say I'm sorry," Nick said.

"Say what now?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble a couple of days ago. I was angry, okay. I have been all this time. I just don't trust Brad the way you all do and there's a real reason why I don't. Remember that time I came home with a cold?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Brad decided it would be funny if he stuck me in a freezer for six whole hours. He took of my hoodie and he took off my shirt. Plus my shoes. I was sitting in the freezer with nothing but my jeans and socks. Once I got out of there, I started sneezing. I should be lucky that he left my hoodie and shirt out there. I didn't know what he dud with my shoes and I didn't care. That's when I knew that I would never forgive him and that's why I refused to believe that he became good. It was all because of that."

"You don't trust him because he locked you in a freezer for six hours?"

"Wouldn't you feel that same way if he did the same thing to you?"

"Well, I would be mad, but I wouldn't hate him for the rest of my life."

"That's where I made the mistake. I shouldn't of been mad about that. It was a silly prank and I shouldn't of taken it seriously. That's just the type of person I am. I take everything seriously."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I want to apologize for the way I acted and I was hoping we could make up right here, right now. What do you say? Can we be friends again?" He held his hand out.

I pushed it away. "You really think I'm gonna accept your handshake after the way you treated me? I'm sorry, Nick, but the way you treated me was just unacceptable. I just can't be friends with you anymore."

Nick sighed. "I understand. I guess our friendship was just never meant to be. Well, I guess I better call it a night. We have a big day tomorrow if we wanna find everybody else. Goodnight, you guys."

"Goodnight, Nick," Monica said.

"Yeah," I said, "Whatever."

"Well, at least you two aren't fighting anymore."

"Are you kidding? That was an argument. It just wasn't a very loud one."

"Why have you two been arguing so much?"

"Because I became Brad`s friend and he didn't accept that fact."

"That's what the fighting was all about? Nick stopped being your friend because you became friends with Brad? Nick can be so difficult to deal with."

"I know. It was way harder to become friends when him than it was to end our friendship. Why did we even become friends in the first place?"

"You were the one that said he needed friends."

"I thought you were the one to say that."

"No, you were. Look, it doesn't matter. You and Nick aren't even friends anymore, so why even bother talking about him? That's just wasting your breath. I think it's best if you sleep on it."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Aren't I always?"

I sighed and got up. "Goodnight, Monica."

"Goodnight, Lloyd. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Don't you think?"

"Yeah. Whatever." I crawled into my tent for the night.

I fell into a dreamless sleep, but I felt as though I was tossing and turning all night. I didn't think I was sleeping at all. Once the sun was shining, I tried to sleep in, but it didn't really matter if I did sleep in or not. As leader, I had to get up in the morning. So I did. And I made breakfast. That made everybody get up. Zelda was back in her ten year old form. I'm not sure why, but she looks really pretty grown up. I'm just expressing my own opinion.

"Good morning, everyone," Zelda said.

"Morning, Zelda," I said.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

No, not really, but I didn't want her to know that. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"That's always good to hear."

I heard a rustling sound from one of the bushes. Everyone else must've heard it, too, because we were all silent. I thought it may have been a squirrel or something, but it was more than that. It was someone that I was hoping to see.

"Hey, guys." It was Brad.

"Brad?" I asked, "Is that really you?"

"Brad, you're okay," Monica said.

"We were all so worried about you," Zelda said.

"I will admit that I was a bit worried, but not too much," Nick said.

I placed my hand on Brad`s shoulder. "What happened to you, Brad? Where did you go?"

"Didn't you read the note that I left?" Brad asked, "I went to go find my parents."

"Did you find them?"

"I did. I came out here to collect some wood when I found you guys. Come on."

We followed Brad down the trail. Along the way, Brad was picking up logs for firewood. I'm pretty sure he hasn't had breakfast. We continued down the trail until we found a little cottage to where the trail ends. It's kind of like going through the woods to get to grandmother's house. That's what I think. We started walking up to the door, seeing what would happen next.

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE THEY FOUND BRAD. HE FOUND HIS PARENTS. NOW ITS TIME FOR THE OTHER'S TO MEET THEM.**

 **I WILL SAY THAT IT'S BEEN A LONG WEEK, SO I DON'T REALLY FEEL LIKE TALKING.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	26. Brads Parents

CHAPTER 25

BRAD`S PARENTS

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

Brad opened the door of the cottage, revealing the inside of the humbled home. It was like any ordinary cottage. It was made of wood and other stuff from the outdoors, which you can tell. It was like any home you would normally see, except there was no television or any of that other stuff. The fireplace replaced the TV. I couldn't believe that. Footsteps could be heard from down the hall. A woman in her early thirties appeared, smiling at all of us. Her hair was brown and her eyes were blue. She was wearing a modern time dress that didn't look to be from this time period. This must have been Brad`s mother. Her eyes looked at us very sweetly. Brad ran up to her and hug her tightly. She embraced him in the same cuddly way.

Brad`s mother chuckled. "Looks like someone's happy to see me again. You've only been gone for half an hour."

"Sorry, Mom," Brad said, letting her go, "I just can't stand the thought of losing you. Where's Dad?"

"He went out into the village to gather more wood. I was hoping your friends would find us sooner or later."

"Yeah, they would. Mom, I want you to meet Monica, Zelda, Nick and my best friend, Lloyd Garmadon."

"Brad, I'm not that important," I said.

"You are in my book," Brad said, placing a hand on my sore shoulder.

"Ow!" I rubbed my shoulder.

"Whoa, Lloyd, did you get into some kind of accident while doing your chores or something?"

"Looks like Nick here looks the same way as you," Mrs. Tudaphone said, "What in the name of Ninjago happened to the both of you?"

"Well, you see, we kind of... well, we sort of..." I couldn't find the right words to say.

"Lloyd and I got in a fight three days ago," Nick said.

"A fight?" Mrs. Tudaphone said sternly, "There will be no fighting in this house. If I see either of you lay a finger on each other, I'll make sure there's no dessert for you at night."

"You don't have to worry about that," Nick said, "We've already agreed to stay away from each other."

"When did we agree on that?"

"Just now. Let's shake hands and agree."

I took his hand. "I hope this was only a one time thing."

"Oh, don't worry. It is."

"Hooray, Lloyd and Nick finally made up," Monica said.

"At least they've made an agreement on something," Zelda said.

"Well, I guess it's alright to leave you kids alone then," Mrs. Tudaphone said, "Why don't you all have a seat in the living room. Sit wherever you like. My husband should be back any minute, so breakfast will be here shortly."

Mrs. Tudaphone went back inside the kitchen. I sat down in the chair since I was the leader and all. The other three sat on the couch that looked to be comfortable. The door suddenly opened, revealing a man who looked to be in his mid thirties. He had hair that looked like Brad`s, only it was a bit shorter and it looked a little gray on the top. He was wearing glasses over his green eyes. His suit looked modern times. It was nothing that would ever be made in this generation. This had to be Brad`s father.

He looked at all of us. "Hello, children. Brad said we would be expecting you all. I'm his father. Where is my son, anyway?"

This guy looked as though he got straight to the point. Brad ran inside the room. "I'm right here, Dad."

"There you are, son. Do you mind helping me with this firewood?"

"Sure, Dad." Brad took the firewood and placed it in the fireplace. He went back inside the kitchen.

"He's been a lot of help around here. He finally found us the other night saying that he's changed and all that. He was even crying when he said it. I never thought I'd see the day. I wanna know which one of you helped him out."

"Don't look at me," Nick said, "I still think of Brad as the enemy."

"It was Lloyd," Monica said, "He's the one that helped Brad out."

"Is this true, Lloyd?" Mr. Tudaphone asked.

"Well, they've been around to see everything, so yes," I said.

Mr. Tudaphone walked up and shook my hand. "I just wanna thank you for helping my son out. If it wasn't for you, I don't think Brad would've ever changed."

"It's not a big deal. I just thought it would be kind to help him out."

"Well, whatever you did, you gave us back our son. You know, he didn't used to be bad. That was before his mother and I made a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Breakfast is ready," Mrs. Tudaphone called out.

"We'll talk more about this later," Mr. Tudaphone said, "I'm sure you're all hungry. Let's go eat."

We all walked into the dining room. The table was filled with food. We all sat down at the table and began eating. The meal was quiet and enjoyable. After everyone was finished, we all sat down together in the living room, enjoying the first few minutes of peaceful silence. That is until the conversation that Mr. Tudaphone and I had earlier popped up into my mind. He must've been thinking the same thing because he became the one to break the silence.

"I've been thinking of what we talked about earlier," Mr. Tudaphone said.

"You were talking to them, Robert?" Mrs. Tudaphone asked.

"Once I got back home. I think it's time we continue on. Um, Margaret, do you remember that little mistake that we made when Brad was only about two years old?"

"You mean the playdate that we made the mistake of making?"

"That's the one."

"Oh, I'll never forget that. I knew that was a big mistake."

"What happened?" Brad asked.

"Brad, we never really told you about this," Mrs. Tudaphone said, "You see, you made a friend with a certain little boy that we regretted ever letting you play with."

"Who was it?"

"Gene."

"You mean I've been Gene`s friend for longer than I've ever known him?"

"That's right. Your father and I made the biggest mistake. We should've never let you play with him. Once he started teaching you things, you never forgot them. You started knocking over things on purpose, throwing tantrums all the time and other stuff. You even tried to set your own stuff animals on fire."

"After that, enough was enough," Mr. Tudaphone said, "Your mother and I did all we could, but it was time to take drastic measures. We did our research and tried to find the right place that was suitable for you. We heard about Darkley`s and thought it would be a good school for you."

"After we finished enrolling you, we made the second biggest mistake of our lives. The moment we left, we saw that the school was only planning to make you evil. It was too late to unenroll you. Once you were signed up, there was no turning back. We did all we could to get you out of there, but there was nothing we could do."

"You were only three when we placed you inside the school. While we were trying to get you out of there, we saw you playing with Gene. We looked it up and found out that Gene was already enrolled in Darkley`s at the same time we set up your playdate with him. That was the last time we set foot into that boarding school. There was nothing we could do. We just couldn't get you out of there."

"It broke our hearts to see that we lost our little boy. We actually planned on giving you a little brother or sister. We wanted to make you happy, but it just never worked out. We even planned on adopting a baby, but there was just never enough money in the budget. We decided to forget about it. We were just so concerned about you all the time. It was always your name in our minds. We couldn't think about ourselves anymore."

"But I came back home to you guys ever since Darkley`s became Sensei Wu`s Academy," Brad said.

"Yes, but you weren't as evil as you used to be," Mrs. Tudaphone said, "You were still bad, though."

"You were still hanging out with Gene as well," Mr. Tudaphone said.

"I didn't know I made you guys feel that way," Brad said, "I'm really sorry."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Brad," Mrs. Tudaphone said, "That's just the way life works for some people. You have nothing to apologize for."

"You're right, Mom. It's not my fault. It's Gene`s. He's the reason I became evil in the first place. He's the reason you guys forced yourselves to send me to Darkley`s." Brad stood in the middle of the room. "I've decided on something. I don't want to go back home. I want the three of us to stay here forever."

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE BRAD DECIDED TO BLAME GENE FOR THE WHOLE THING. NOW HE DOESN'T WANNA GO BACK TO THE PRESENT. THIS MIGHT END UP GOOD. THEN AGAIN, IT COULD GO TERRIBLY WRONG. WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.**

 **NOT MUCH TO SAY. AS USUAL.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	27. Convincing Brad

CHAPTER 26

CONVINCING BRAD

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I gasped after Brad said what I thought I just heard. He was going back to the present. This isn't good. I ran into the kitchen and almost started hyperventilating. I need some tea. For the first time in my life, I actually needed tea. That wasn't really like me. I'm starting to sound a lot like my uncle. I looked around for a teapot, but I couldn't find one. I placed my hands over my eyes, almost feeling as though I were about to cry. I pulled out a chair and sat down. I set my head down on the table. Why is this all happening to me? Things always go from bad to worse. I try to do something so I can save them, but it makes me feel as though I've wasted my time. I've wasted my time with everything. I've mostly wasted my time on making friends. Why did I even make any in the first place?

I felt as though tears were about to fall from my eyes. I felt as though I had given up. The world has given up on me. I've given up on the world. I suppose I've given up on everything. I couldn't hold back my emotions. I started crying. I just needed to let it out. Let it flow. That's all I needed to do. I've never cried before, but this time was an exception. I had fear in me. I was afraid that none of us would ever get home. Chaos would spread throughout both our lands and it would be all my fault. It's always my fault. I never expected any of this to happen. All I wanted was to be back home in my bed and pretend that all of this was a dream. I just wanted all of this to be a silly dream. I even pinched myself. It hurt, so I knew it wasn't a dream. I knew it was real. That's what made me cry even harder.

The door to the kitchen opened. I didn't see who it was since my head was buried in my arms. I heard the voice. It belonged to Zelda. "Lloyd, are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright," I sobbed, "I'm tired of all this, Zelda. I wish something would just turn out normal for once in my life. I don't get why everything has to turn out so ridiculous. I wish something would go right for once."

Zelda placed her hand on my shoulder. "It'll all be okay, Lloyd. Everything will turn back to normal soon. We just have to take this journey one step at a time. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to convince Brad to come home with us. His parents are already trying to do that right now."

I sniffed. "Do you know how hard it is to convince someone? Brad will never come home with us. As long as he's somewhere far away from Gene, he's gonna stay somewhere else from now on."

"I'm terribly sorry about all this, Lloyd. I wish we never looked into that vase."

"Well, everybody's looked at that vase now. Even the ninja. Now they've gotten themselves into this mess and we seem to be the only one's that can get them out of it."

"Listen, let's just give Brad some time to think about all this. I'm sure he'll change his mind."

"You don't get it, Zelda. I can't change his mind."

"Oh, yes, you can."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can. I know you can, Lloyd. You just need to try. That's all you can do it try."

"What's the point of trying if it only makes me fail at the end?"

"You won't fail if you keep going. There's a point in life where you have to pass eventually. Now go out there and do your best."

I sighed, wiping away my tears. "Alright, I'll try. If it doesn't work, then I'm proving you wrong."

"I'd like to see you try."

We walked back into the living room where I stood in front of Brad. He had a straight face, but my face can become straighter. "Brad, you can't stay here."

"You can't change my mind, Lloyd," Brad said, "I'm not budging the thought out of my mind."

"I may not be able to take the thought out of your mind, but I'll keep convincing you, no matter what you say."

"I'd like to see you try."

I walked over to Brad`s parents. "I'm not giving up until he's decided to cone back home with us."

"You can try," Mrs. Tudaphone said.

"Even when he's good, he's still a bit hard are convince," Mr. Tudaphone said, "Difficult, to be exact."

"Robert!"

"I'm just speaking with my mind, honey."

"I'll do my best," I said, walking back over to Brad.

"You're never gonna convince me, Lloyd," Brad said.

"I'll figure out how to change your mind, Brad," I said.

"I said it before, I'll say it again. I'd like to see you try."

"Okay, I warned you."

"Do as you must."

"Alright. Listen, if you live in a world like this, you won't be able to do the thing you used to do back in our time period. In this world, ice cream hasn't been created. Along with light bulbs and lanterns."

"I can live without ice cream. I wouldn't mind living without electricity. We've got a fireplace and candles to give us light."

"Oh, yeah. What about TV and video games? I'm sure you'll miss radios, too."

"I don't need technology to keep me entertained. I'll make up my own games."

"What about all the fun places to go in the city? Won't you miss all that?"

"None of that is an adventure. In the past, everything is an adventure."

"What about all your relatives? I'm sure they'll miss you if they don't even know where you all."

"Well, I can't really say anything against that. After all, my relatives are my family."

"Well, it looks like I'm starting to convince you."

"Your still not convincing me to do anything. I'll figure out a reason."

"I told you he can be difficult," Mr. Tudaphone said.

"Robert!" Mrs. Tudaphone exclaimed, elbowing her husband in the shoulder.

"What? I'm speaking the truth."

Mrs. Tudaphone sighed. "Just stop talking. You're not making things any better."

Brad gasped in excitement. "I've got it. Our relatives should just stop searching for us. If anything, when you guys get home, tell all my relatives where we are so they don't worry. If they miss us, they'll just have to get over it."

Mrs. Tudaphone gasped. "Brad! What an awful thing to say! You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I'm sorry. I didn't to say anything about our family."

"Well, you just did. I'm very disappointed in you."

Brad groaned. "Now look what you've done, Lloyd. You made me hurt my mother's feelings."

"I didn't mean for that to happen," I said.

"Well, you did."

"Listen, I just want you to come home."

"Is there a reason why I need to come back home with you guys?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me what it is. I don't have all day. Don't leave me hanging."

"We went to the royal sorceress and she told us that if we didn't leave before the week, both of our worlds would go into extreme chaos."

"Chaos!" Mrs. Tudaphone shouted.

"Brad, royal sorcerers and sorceressess never lie when it comes to certain things like that," Mr. Tudaphone said, "I think it's best if we went home before anything bad happens."

"I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo," Brad said.

"Brad, we need to go home," I said, "I miss home. Our friends miss home. Your parents miss home. The ninja ended up in this world and they want to go home, but not until they've found us."

"The ninja are here?" Mrs. Tudaphone asked.

"I guess they came through the same peace symbol like us," Mr. Tudaphone said, "It was a really big mistake to look at the one in the baker`s window."

"You went through that peace symbol?" Brad asked.

"Well, Peace Powers started painting peace symbols all around the place after he created the first one," Nick explained, "I guess you can tell which one's are real and which one's were made by modern time people."

"I guess we've all learned a lesson," I said, "Don't let a peace symbol tell you what to do."

"I can't believe this," Brad said, "I don't know what to do anymore. I'm gonna go and lie down for a little while."

Brad went upstairs, disappearing in the darkness of the hallway. Okay, so maybe I wasn't able to totally convince him, but I got somewhere, right? I think it's best if I give him time to give things some thought. It's always best to give someone a little bit of time.

* * *

 **AT LEAST BRAD SAID HE WOULD THINK ABOUT IT. AFTER ALL, THINKING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.**

 **FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT LOVE MY STORY NINJAGO APOCALYPSE, I AM TRULY SORRY FOR NOT PUBLISHING A CHAPTER OF IT THIS WEEK. I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT. IT JUST SLIPPED MY MIND. I HOPE YOU ALL AREN'T MAD AT ME. I PROMISE TO PUBLISH A NEW CHAPTER NEXT WEEK. I PROMISE. FOR NOW, ENJOY THIS UPDATE.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	28. Lost In The Past

CHAPTER 27

LOST IN THE PAST

 **KAI`S POV:**

I couldn't believe it. We've only been out here for I can't remember how many days and were already lost. We've gotten ourselves into some trouble. We went inside of a village to find ourselves some food, but since Jay always has to open his big mouth, we were chased out of the village and told to never return. Cole tried to find some food in one of the tallest trees in the woods, but he ended up falling off it and knocking himself in the head. We were lucky to find a doctor who lived in the woods that would help take care of Cole. We wasted a whole night staying over there. We were back on the road the next day, going from village to village, getting whatever food we could and then placing ourselves back into the woods. Unfortunately, this time, we couldn't tell where we were and what we were suppose to do. We had just went out in the middle of nowhere and ended up getting ourselves lost.

Keeping my angered cool, I sat down with everyone else as I created a fire to keep us all warm. The days have been long and hard. I was tired, and so was everybody else. I started getting a headache because I ended up staring at the fire too long. I don't get it. I'm the master of fire, but I still get headaches from staring at a fire. It's just so ridiculous.

We all sat in silence, thinking about what to do next. We've already gotten ourselves lost out here. I suppose we have no choice but to get ourselves list again. The least we can do is find our way around here.

I sighed and placed myself on the ground. "How did we end up in this mess?"

"You mean the fact that we've been out for days, trying to find the kids and now we've ended up getting lost out here ourselves," Jay explained.

"Well, when you put it that way."

"There is nothing to fear, everyone," Sensei Wu said, "We will find our way around. We just need a little bit of encouragement."

"There's always a way to find that," Nya said, "I usually just use it when I'm building something. Well, creating an invention is more specific way of putting it."

"I think we got it, sis," I said.

"I'm really getting tired of all this," Kitty said, "If only we had a map to get ourselves around this place. That would be so much better."

"The maps in this time period are different than the ones in our time," Misako said, "Besides, it would be hard to find a map that was just lying around waiting for someone to pick up off the ground."

"Usually, when somebody says that, it hits them in the face," Garmadon said.

"Don't start joking around with me, Garmadon. I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, let's not get off topic here," Cole said, placing his hand onto his bandaged head, "If anything, I'm ready to get out of this time period. Everything that I'm seeing is just plain crazy."

"Cole, you hit your head," Carol said, "You should be going crazy about that."

Cole sighed. "I was specifically talking about something totally different."

"Totally different? Please. I change the subject all the time."

"Yet you made me forget what I was about to say. Thank you very much, sweetheart."

"Awwwww! I love you, too, baby." Carol kissed his cheek, making Cole blush everywhere.

"Looks to me like your getting off topic, Cole," I said, "It looks as though I'm gonna have to figure something out instead of you. You'd rather kiss you girlfriend over there than you would ever think about a new plan."

"Well, I can't argue with that," Cole said.

"I think it's best if I figure something out myself," Sensei Wu said, "Give me a little time to meditate and I promise to tell you."

"Come on, guys," Cole said, "Let's give Sensei Wu a little lone time. After all, meditation means quiet fir some reason."

"He meditates all the time," Jay said, "I'm pretty sure he's used to us being loud and all that. Considering that he used to listen to us playing video games and shouting at each other all the time."

"That's completely different," I said, "In this time period, video games haven't even been invented yet."

"I know that, Kai. I'm not that stupid."

"Forget I said anything."

"Guys, over here," Cole said, gesturing up to come behind the trees.

Everyone except Sensei Wu came over. While he was over there meditating, the rest of us were trying to figure out a solution to all this.

"Okay, the kids have been here longer than we have, so where do you think they went?" I asked.

"Probably begged an old lady to let them stay at her house where they can enjoy some warm meals and comfortable beds," Jay said.

"Can we go back to being serious?" Cole asked.

"Buzzkill."

"Okay, let us become serious about this," Zane said.

"Zane`s right," Cole said, "Let's get back to business. Where do you think the kids might actually be at? Don't say at some old lady's house, Jay. That's your answer for everything."

"I wasn't gonna say that," Jay said.

"Let's start off with a better question," I said, "Why do you think the kids came here in the first place?"

"Good question," Zane said, "How?"

"I think I may have a theory," Kitty said, "Remember when Kai was staring at the vase like a weirdo?"

"I remember that," Jay said.

"Hey, I wasn't staring at it like a weirdo," I said.

"Yes, you were," Kitty said, "Anyway, when Kai was staring at it, the vortex appeared, causing all of us to get sucked into it. Then we ended up here."

"So what's your point?"

"My point is that one of the kids may have been in a trance, letting the, I suppose, peace symbol speak to them, having the vortex appear and causing them all to enter this time period. If it happen to Kai, then it happened to one of them."

"Here's another question," Cole said, "Which one of the kids was put into the trance?"

"I have no idea," Kitty said.

"Well, of course nobody has an idea of who it was," Nya said, "We weren't with the children when it happened."

"If only we were," Misako said.

"I hope we find them soon," Miss Allyman said, "I'm starting to worry about all of them. Plus, I'm sick of being in this time period. It's giving me the creeps."

"Let's just change the subject for a minute," Cole said, "Has anybody notice that Caleb hasn't been around lately?"

"He's been working on some new inventions to help out the team," Nya said, "He doesn't really think of himself as a ninja. He calls himself more of an ally."

"Well, if something we're to ever happen and we couldn't get out of this time period, we could always rely on him to protect Ninjago for us."

"You cannot always rely on just one person, Cole," Garmadon said, "It doesn't work that way."

"Everyone, I've completed my meditation," Sensei Wu called out, "You can come back."

Jay was the first one to speak. "Did you find anything, Sensei?"

"I couldn't find a nearby map, but I did find out where the children are," Sensei Wu said.

"Where are they?"

"It seems that Brad was the one who was in the trance. He brought everyone here because his parents were seen here."

"All this time, Brad`s parents ended up here? Looks like that little guy had a smart idea. He would've ended up in a foster home if we weren't placed in this time period."

"Now the question is this," I said, "Which one of Brad`s parents were placed in a trance?"

"Now is not the time for talking about this subject anymore," Sensei Wu said, "Night has arrived. It's time for us all to get to bed. We shall continue our journey in the morning. Tomorrow, I will lead."

"You will lead?" I said.

"Yes. No arguing about it. I shall lead and that is final. Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight, Sensei," everyone said.

I sighed. "I really wish we had a tent. I don't think I can last a night out here."

I laid down on the ground and fell fast asleep. Tonight wasn't any different than most nights. I suppose sleeping on the hard ground wouldn't be too bad. Although, there are tines when I can be wrong.

* * *

 **DO AS YOUR TOLD AND WE WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE PEOPLE A LITTLE QUOTE THAT PEOPLE MAKE UP ALL THE TIME. THERE PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION FROM GENERATION.**

 **I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE WORD OF THE DAY. I'M JUST NOT FEELING IT TONIGHT. I HAVE A HEADACHE. I'VE GOT TWO TEST TOMORROW. WISH ME LUCK.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED READING THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	29. A Decision at The End

CHAPTER 28

A DECISION AT THE END

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

All day I've been trying to convince Brad to come back home with us, but he won't budge. No matter what I say or do, he won't listen. I couldn't give up, though. I almost did this morning. I don't want to have to break down again in order to get things right. I've got enough on my mind as it is. Finding the ninja won't be easy because I have no idea where the heck they are. My mind was swirling with thoughts that I can't stand thinking about. All I wanted to do was go home. Is that too much to ask? It seems to be, considering the fact that Brad doesn't wanna go home and I don't know what to do anymore. All I was doing was sitting on the couch and thinking. Today was day two of our journey. Yesterday was day one. We only had five more days until everything went into chaos. This was both pressure on me and my friends and family.

I was tired. I wanted to go to bed and think things through. I wanted some time to myself. My mind his stuff that I was tired of seeing for one day. I wasn't gonna give up, though. As leader, I had to stand my grounds and keep trying, no matter how hard it may be. I sighed, lying down on the couch. I may not be willing to give up, but I think that I may be a horrible leader. I've fought my ex-best friend, Brad ran away, but he made success. He found his parents. They wanted to go home, but he didn't. Ridiculous.

Zelda was standing in the doorway. I looked at the clock. It was almost four. I looked over at her. "Sunset will be coming soon."

"I know," Zelda said, "I just finished eating supper. Yours is Stirling on the table. You better eat it before it catches a cold."

"Catches a cold? What does that mean?"

"It means your dinner will get cold if you don't go and eat it right away."

I sighed. "I'm not hungry right now. I'm tired."

"What's the matter, Lloyd?"

"I'm tired of being here. I don't wanna go back home and be a failure because I've left people behind. I wanna go home and be surrounded by the people that I love. I just wanna go home. I'm a horrible leader and a horrible friend. No matter what I do or what I say, nobody will listen to me or understand that I'm the leader. What should I do? Be firm or something? I could try that, but it's just not gonna work."

"Lloyd, everything that you just said is wrong. We will find everyone and get them back home. We'll try and find a way to convince Brad. You are not is horrible leader or a horrible friend. Don't you know who you are? You are Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon. You're one of the greatest ninja this world has ever seen. You are the leader of our group. As leader, you have the authority to tell everyone here what the y can and can't do. If you do all that, then I promise that you will be sitting on your couch at home with your entire family surrounding you with love and warmth. I can guarantee you that."

"You can guarantee it can you just let me have it?"

"You have to earn things in this world, Lloyd. Things can't always be given to you. I should know. When I was little, I was living in the orphanage and I always wanted something given to me, but then I figured out that some of the things belong to all the other children in the orphanage as well. Don't always have the thought that something will be given to you, because it won't."

"How is it that you are such good help?"

"Well, I suppose I have the mind to help other when they need it "

"Thanks, Zelda. Hey, I'm sorry we couldn't go mini golfing together. The truth is, I only asked You to go because Staci had asked Brad to go with her."

"I know, Lloyd. You were only trying to be a good friend and help him out. I can understand that. Besides, it's best to forget about the bad times and think of some ways to have great times."

"I get what you mean."

Zelda yawned. "Well, I think it's best if I turned in for the night."

"Turn in? It's only four in the afternoon."

"Don't you remember the little problem I have when sundown comes?"

"Oh, yeah. Speaking of that little problem, when are you going to tell everybody about it?"

"Once we find the ninja, the truth will be spoken of. I really must go to bed, Lloyd." Zelda pecked my cheek. "Goodnight, Lloyd."

"Goodnight, Zelda." My face started blushing by the time she went upstairs.

I laid back down on the couch. I was trying to sink in everything that Zelda just told me. I guess I'm not such a bad leader. I don't give up or anything like that. Besides, giving up would make me a terrible leader. I sighed and closed my eyes. I opened them back up. I was thinking about resting them a moment, but I decided against it. That's a good thing, too. I saw Brad walking in the living room, sitting in the chair.

"Hey, Lloyd," Brad said.

"Hey, Brad," I said.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just lying here and trying to think."

"Is it working out for you?"

"What is?"

"Thinking about what you're thinking about."

I sighed. "I guess. Why are you asking me such ridiculous questions?"

"Lloyd, I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"About what you said. Are you really telling the truth? Will something happen to both time periods if we don't return to ours?"

"Yes. All of us have to go home. We're kind of being rush and you taking up most of our time to think about it isn't really helping us."

"I'm sorry. I've been more of an idiot than I have a friend. I just wanna go somewhere that I can be far away from Gene. He's the reason my parents forced themselves into sending me to Darkley`s. He made me into what I used to be. Now I'm no longer that way."

"Why can't you just tell him how you really felt about everything?"

"He's evil, Lloyd. There's no point in even trying to explain anything to him. Plus, he's an evil genius."

"Gene`s not as smart as he thinks he is. I know of somebody that's way more intelligent than him."

"Who?"

"You are."

"No way. I'm not that intelligent. I'm not even good at math. Have you seen my math test? The highest I've ever made was a C+. The lowest was a C-. More people are better at reading than they are at numbers."

"Well, that's true, but I know of someone else that's good at math."

"Who?"

"Nick, of course."

"Sorry, I won't be able to ask him for help. He'll just say no."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. There's no reason for you to worry."

Brad sighed. "Lloyd, I've made a decision."

"What is it?"

"I've decided that I wanna come home with you guys. I've been giving it a lot of thought. I don't think I can live without video games and ice cream. I was only saying that because I was trying to make sure I would stay here."

"I know. You were acting kind of crazy. Well, a lot crazy."

"I also had something else in mind. Why do all the doctors and dentist have all these old medical tools? It's crazy. I can't live here without all the advance medical technology. You never k ow what kind of diseases they have here without any types of vaccinations."

"I get what you mean. I'm glad you're gonna come back home with us."

"Same here, Lloyd."

"Brad, sweetie," Mrs. Tudaphone said from upstairs, "Come upstairs now. It's time for your bath. We need to get ready to start traveling tomorrow."

"Coming, Mom," Brad said, sighing.

"I guess you hate the baths here, huh?" I said.

"The baths back home are better than the one's here. I get to bathe in hot water. The water here isn't hot."

"Well, you won't have to worry about it for too long."

"You're right. Well, I better get upstairs. Goodnight, Lloyd."

"Goodnight, Brad."

Brad went upstairs, but I continued lounging on the couch. Almost closing my eyes, I heard a knock on the door. I walked over to the door and opened it. When I saw who it was, I couldn't believe my eyes. The ninja were standing right in front of me.

* * *

 **WELL, BRAD HAS FINALLY DECIDED TO GO BACK HOME. THAT'S A GOOD THING. NOW THE NINJA HAVE FINALLY FOUND LLOYD AND THE OTHERS. THEY MADE A TIME TO FIND THEM, BUT I SUPPOSE THEY WANTED TO FIND THEM THAT VERY NIGHT.**

 **OH, I MADE AN A+ ON MY SPANISH TEST. I'LL FIGURE OUT WHAT MY MATH GRADE IS TOMORROW. OH, I HAVE A CHEMISTRY TEST TOMORROW. WISH ME LUCK. I'VE GOT A BOAT LOAD OF TEST.**

 **I'M GONNA STOP TALKING NOW.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	30. The Ninja Are Back

CHAPTER 29

THE NINJA ARE BACK

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

When I saw the ninja, I almost passed out from happiness. I never thought that they would find us. I thought it would take us forever to find them. That didn't matter anymore. I ran to my mother and hugged her with all the might my body had, being careful with my injuries. Everyone was happy to see me. Everybody else came downstairs to see the ninja and were happy to see tat we may be getting out of here sooner than we thought. I didn't see Zelda come downstairs. She must already be changing into her older self by now. It was already sundown, so she wouldn't come back down for the rest of the night, especially to greet everyone. After so many hugs ad kisses on the check from my mother, we all sat in the living room, surrounding each other with warmth and comfort.

Mother kept her arms wrapped around me. "Oh, Lloyd, I'd never thought we would see you again."

"Mom, I've only been gone for, well... I don't remember how many days," I said.

"All that doesn't matter," Dad said, "You're back home with us. That's all that matters."

"Have any of you seen Zelda?" Miss Allyman asked, "I thought she would cone downstairs to greet everyone else."

"Oh, uh, she went to bed," I said, "I'm pretty sure she's fallen asleep by now."

"Oh, well, I don't want to bother her then. Illicit to greet her in the morning."

"I think all the greeting is over now," Uncle said, "Now that we're all together, we can get home sooner than we thought."

"Sensei, you were the one that brought us out here because you were tired of being patient," Nya said.

"My own uncle was tired of waiting to find us?" I said.

"It's true," Mom said, "He gathered us all together and started the search for you."

"You guys are the greatest."

"Well, I don't know what we would do if we ever lost you, Lloyd."

"Well, all of Ninjago could go into mass chaos," Cole said.

Carol elbowed Cole in the arm. "Cole, don't put that in everyone's head."

"What? I'm just speaking the truth."

"You guys are actually right," I said, "Without me, or without any of us, really, Ninjago could go into chaos. Extreme chaos, to be exact. Here and in our time period."

"What do you mean?" Mom asked.

I sighed. "I met a royal sorceress."

"Don't you mean that we met a royal sorceress?" Nick corrected me.

"Yes, yes, yes. Anyway, we met a royal sorceress who said that both our time periods would go into mass chaos if we didn't go back to the origins time period that we belong in. We're also being time. We only have a week to get back home."

"Why is it that we always have to be timed to do everything?" Jay asked.

"I don't know, but I do know one thing," I said, "I don't want any kind of chaos to happen."

"We feel the same way, Lloyd," Mom said, embracing me tight.

"I wish we could just go home," Cole said.

"I wish that, too," Carol said, "The question is how do we get home."

"The way that we got here," I said.

"You mean with the vase?" Kai asked, "I don't think I can put myself into a trance again."

"No, there's another way. If only I can figure out what that other way is."

"I'm sure you will, darling," Mom said.

"What's been going on while you and the others were here?" Dad asked.

"Where on earth dud you get those clothes at?" Aunt Lora asked.

"Why is your arm in a sling?" Uncle asked.

"I've been wondering that myself," Mom said, "Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Kitty said, pointing to Nick, "How did you break your glasses, Nick?"

"Everybody, one question at a time," I said, "I promise we'll explain everything."

"Go on, Lloyd," Mom said, "Start explaining."

"Since the moment we got here, Nick pounced on me, but that's not where the fight came in. We were walking through the woods when we saw this horse carriage pull up. The guy that was in it happened to be the royal steward for the king and queen of Nin. We were living inside an orphanage for a couple of days."

"Lloyd and I were still arguing," Nick said, "Brad came into our room with a bag in his hands and left a note on his pillow. I just ignored it because I could care less about Brad and his way. The sooner he was gone, the better. Lloyd came into the room and saw the note. He got angry at me for not trying to stop Brad. He didn't even say a word. All he did was pounce on me and started up a fight. So there we were, growing punches and kicks at each other, slamming one another into the wall. He actually punched my glasses and broke the lense."

"You two were fighting?" Mom said angrily.

"Physically and not with words?" Dad said in the same tone.

"I understand that you both are upset," I said.

"We are deeply upset," Mom said.

"The moment we get home, you're being punished, young man," Dad said.

"I know, Dad," I said, " I kind of deserve it, anyway."

"If he's to be punished, then I'm to be punished, too," Nick said.

"Okay," Kitty said, "Nick, once we get home, you're grounded."

"You can't ground me. Only Mom can."

"True, but is Mom here."

Nick hesitated. "Uh... no."

"My point exactly."

"How we're you all able to find Brad and his parents?" Uncle asked.

"It was the day after we ran away from the orphanage," I said, "We were in the woods and Brad found us. He said that he was sent out to get more firewood."

"I figured that Brad was really going out to find his friends, so I sent my husband out to the village to get some," Mrs. Tudaphone said.

"I thought he would just find some while he was finding his friends," Mr. Tudaphone said.

"Honey, I sent you to get more for a reason. I knew that we would have more guest."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot."

"So Brad you all and then he brought you here?" Mom asked.

"Yep, that's our story," I said, "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you and Nick owe each other an apology and I think you owe all of us an explanation of why you both were fighting so much."

"I'll tell you everything, Mom."

"No, I will," Nick said, "Lloyd and I were fighting because he became friends with Brad. I didn't like it so much, but now I understand that Lloyd was helping Brad find his parents. I guess it wasn't a bad idea to come out here after all. It's given us a lot of time to think things through. I was the one that started the whole thing, so I should get the bigger punishment."

"We're not done here," Mom said, "You both still owe each other an apology."

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"I'm really sorry, Lloyd," Nick said.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you. I was only trying to help Brad."

"I understand that, but when you two became friends, it really hurt."

"Why couldn't you try being friends with Brad, too?"

"I never really thought of that."

"That's because your too stubborn to think about anything, Nick," Kitty said.

"Sis," Nick said.

"I'm just glad the both of you are friends again," a voice said.

We saw someone descend down the stairs in a shadow form. Everyone gasped when they saw who I wasn't expecting them to see for a while. I guess she was ready to show everyone. Zelda`s older self stood in front of the stairs.

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE NICK AND LLOYD ARE STARTING TO GO BACK TO BEING FRIENDS AGAIN. THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. LOOKS LIKE ZELDA HAS BROUGHT HERSELF OUT. HER OLDER SELF. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING. IT IS, THOUGH.**

 **I DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO SAY. WE ARE ALL GREAT PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE. THAT'S MY PHRASE OF THE DAY.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	31. Zeldas Secret is Revealed

CHAPTER 30

ZELDA`S SECRET IS REVEALED

 **OLDER ZELDA`S POV:**

I made the choice. I was trying to sleep until I heard a bunch of commotion downstairs and I wanted to see what was going on. I walked out of the room and hid in the hallway near the stairs until I was ready to reveal myself. I wish I never did so. My mother nearly fainted. Carol just automatically passed out. Everyone else gasped. Except Lloyd, of course. He knew the whole time. I almost felt as though I had tears in my eyes. Tears that would fall down like rain and never stop. I would create a waterfall and cry people the river tat they're hoping for. I made a big mistake doing this. I shouldn't have revealed myself. None of the would take it well. Even my own mother would consider me a freak.

Without any warning, I ran back upstairs and slammed the door shut to the room I just casually came into. Although, it wasn't casual if I had jumped on the nearest bed I could find and started crying. This was one of the worst days of my life. I don't know how to handle all this. I hate the curse that the witch laced upon me. I should've never tried using light magic. It was only the most worst thing I could've ever done. Now I've gone and done it. I've ruined my life. I'm known as an outcast. I don't deserve to go home. I don't deserve to be around the people I've spent my life with anymore.

I heard a knock on the door. I would've been rude and just shouted at them to go away, but I wasn't that kind of person. I just raised up my head and said, "Come in."

The door opened, revealing my mother. She fixed up her glasses because they were almost crooked on her face. She closed the door behind her and took a good look at me. "Are you alright, honey?"

"No, but I know exactly what you're thinking. I'm a freak. An outcast. Once we get back home, you'll put me out in the streets and tell me to find somewhere else to live."

"Zelda! Don't ever say something like that again. I don't care what kind of problems you have. You are perfect the way you are. I wouldn't care if you were a little girl or a grown woman at night or day, I will always love you no matter what. I'm the type of mother who wouldn't care if her child had a big problem that's difficult to handle. I'll do whatever I can to help you with what's going on. That's the type of mother I am."

"I don't know what else to do. This was the worse mistake I've ever made. I should've never shown you of what happens to me at night. I knew none of you would take it well. I should've just kept a secret."

"No, I'm glad you told us about it. If you said something about this earlier, I would've helped you."

"True, but you would've regretted ever adopting me."

"That's enough of that kind of talk, Zelda. I don't want to hear words like that coming out of your mouth again. I'm sorry for being so stern with you, but what you're saying is ridiculous."

"I'm sorry, Mother. The teenage hormones inside of me are starting to take effect."

"I've been there and done that. I know how you're feeling. I'm pretty sure you never meant for any of this to happen. There's only one question that remains, though. How did this happen?"

"Do I have to tell you?"

"It's the only way for me to help you."

"Alright." I sighed. "When I was younger, I tried using light magic. It didn't work out to well. A witch came up and told me to join her on the dark side. I refused. Since I did, she cast a spell on me, turning me into a sixteen year old girl at night and remaining my normal self during the day. It was stupid to ever try magic."

"Well, as all children are, they can be curious. You did the right thing and stayed away from the dark side. Why didn't you tell anybody about this, though?"

"I was scared to tell. I didn't think anyone would understand."

"Honey, listen to me. No matter what happens in life, I will always understand. You can trust me. Can't you?"

"Well, of course I can. I just don't know about anybody else."

"I'm sure the rest of them can understand. Do you wanna go back downstairs?"

"I don't think now would be a good time. Maybe later, perhaps?"

"Alright, we'll go downstairs later. Lie down on your back, sweetie." I did as I was told. I placed my head on the pillows. Mother sat next to me, her arm around my shoulders. "Let's just talk for now."

"About what?"

"About anything. Anything you want."

"I don't see what there is to talk about."

"Well, we can always go back downstairs. I don't mind at all."

"No, it's alright. I'll think of something." I gasped. "How old are you."

"Twenty-four. Why?"

"Why are you not married yet?"

"Well, I just never got around to finding the right guy, that's all."

"What are you looking for in a man?"

"Well, I wanna find someone that's sweet and kind. Someone the will love me for who I am instead of how I look. Someone that loves kids. Someone that will care about me as much as I care about him. Oh, what's the point in even finding a guy like that? Before I ever adopted you, I was just that lonely cheerleader coach who spent her Friday night's sitting on her couch and eating vanilla ice cream. Every single Friday night."

"Will that ever happen to me?"

"I hope not. I only did it because I was lonely. You have friends, though."

"Don't you have friends?"

"I used to before they all got married. I never did catch the boutique of flowers. You know, it's good luck to catch the bride's flowers. It means that you're next in line to get married."

"It sounds like a lot of fun."

"It is. I just wished I were married."

"Will it be hard to find someone now that you've adopted me?"

"Not really. A lot of guys love kids."

"Is there a reason why you adopted me? Was it because you were lonely?"

"Well, it was one reason. I always had the feeling of having kids of my own. It took a lot of paperwork, but I was finally able to get you."

"Have you ever thought about encountering a guy that might actually like you?"

"I've tried, but it never worked."

"Did you ever date anyone when you were younger? I just wanna know."

"I'll be honest with you, sweetie. I went out on one date in my entire life. There was this boy that I went to school with. I was in the cheerleading academy when I was sixteen. This boy was in the football academy right next door."

"Was it like a boarding school or something?"

"Well, yes, but I was starting to live on my own by then. Anyway, I met a boy and his name was Richard. He was the sweetest guy I ever knew. Especially for a football player. I really liked him. There was a catch, though."

"What was it?"

"There was another girl that was interested in him. She went to the academy with me. I don't know why, but she always had the thought that everyone should bow down to her and make her feel like a queen. To me, she was nothing more than a spoiled brat."

"What was her name?"

"Lindsey. Anyway, she told me to stay away from Richard. He was all hers and nobody could take him away. Even if they were dating and they broke up, she would make sure nobody would date him. I didn't listen to her, though. I knew from the start that she was a big, fat liar. She and Richard were talking to each other alone one day and he told Lindsey to hit the road. He actually told her that no boy would ever like her if she kept acting the way she did. Of course, she didn't listen. Lindsey went out of her way to date all the other football players to make Richard jealous. Luckily, he ignored it and started talking to me a lot more. He actually asked me to go out with him."

"Did you say yes?"

"I did, but the date never happened. I was trying to find the one and only dress that I brought with me, but I couldn't find it. It was a sparkling blue dress that my mother bought me. I heard a knock at the door and saw Lindsey holding up my dress. It was cut in half with a sword. She placed that sword up to my chin and told me that if I went around Richard again, I wouldn't live for another night."

"What did you do?"

"I told Richard I was sick and couldn't go. He believed me, but he left his academy the next day. I never saw him again."

I sighed. "Can you and I both stay up here for the night? I am getting awfully tired."

"Of course, darling."

I closed my eyes and laid upon the pillow, hugging my mother with a tight embrace. I fell asleep a moment later, dreaming dreams that I will never see floating in my mind ever again.

* * *

 **LOOKS LIKE ZELDA AND HER MOTHER HAD A MOTHER DAUGHTER TALK. HOW WONDERFUL. I GUESS JESSICA, THAT'S MISS ALLYMAN`S NAME, HAS A LOVE THAT SHE HASN'T SEEN IN YEARS. I WINDER IF SHE'LL EVER SEE HIM AGAIN. I ALSO WONDER WHAT KIND OF DREAMS ZELDA IS HAVING RIGHT NOW.**

 **NOT MUCH TO SAY. I DID A BUBBLE GUM LAB IN CHEMISTRY TODAY. ITS THE USUAL STUFF.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	32. The Journey Begins Once Again

CHAPTER 31

THE JOURNEY BEGINS ONCE AGAIN

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I woke up the next morning with a straight mind and without tired eyes. I think I'm ready to start off the day by taking a step in the woods. I was finally at able to think things through last night. I jumped out of bed ad started packing my bag. I was just about to tell everyone that it was time to hit the road before I forgot that I was suppose to eat breakfast. I sat down, ate quickly, and started preparing everyone else to hit the road. Once we were all packed and ready, we walked out the door, leaving the Tudaphones to say goodbye to the place they've called home for the last two months. Once that was said and done, we moved on. It was time to start the journey in heading home. That's what I was tempted to do.

The walk was a bit tiring, but I could handle it. I may not have had that much food in my pack, but I knew good and well not to eat it until it's time to have an actual meal. I just ignored the fatigue I was going through and continued walking. Unfortunately, my mother saw the tiredness in my eyes. She picked me up and placed me in her arms, giving my bag to Dad.

I groaned. "Mom, I didn't need anybody to hold me. I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own."

"You don't need to be walking on foot while you're tired," Mom said, "The best thing for a mother to do is to cradle her child in her arms. Besides, I'm sure you've been through a lot."

"I guess so."

"Lloyd, you never told us where we were going," Uncle said, "The first thing to always remember about a journey is to make sure to tell everyone else where we are going and are we heading in the right direction."

"Well, I know good and well that the only peace symbol in this time period is on the vase that Peace Powers created," I said, "So we're journeying to his home."

"Do you even know where he lives, Lloyd?" Jay asked.

"I don't know where he lives," I said, admitting the fact that I had no idea.

"I do," Nick said, "He lives in Ignacia Village."

"That's where I'm from, but why would Peace Powers be living in a farming village?" Kai asked.

"Secrets will be told at a later time," Uncle said, "Let us continue on. It will take at least a day and a half to get to Ignacia."

"Lead the way, Uncle," I said.

"I always do."

We continued down the path. Luckily, no incidents were made throughout the long walk. Except the fact that we almost got chased out of another village due to the fact that Cole almost blurted out where we were really fun. That was hilarious to watch. Luckily, we were able to maximize the amount of food in our supplies.

We stopped in a opened spaced area in the woods. Kai made us a fire while everyone else set up camp. After eating supper, we all sat around the fire in silence. Zelda had changed into her older self. This time, she didn't even mind changing in front of all of us. It was actually quite comfortable. She looked at me and gave a smile. I did the same. It's always great to see that smile.

My uncle was staring at the fire and meditating as usual. There would be no way to get a conversation out of him. I placed a hand on my head to keep it steady. I really don't wanna fall asleep at this moment. My father placed his arm around me.

"Once you feel like going to bed, just let me know," Dad said.

"Whatever you say, Dad," I said.

"This is all still a mystery to me," Jay said.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked, sealing for the first time in the longest of whiles.

"How in the world can a peace symbol create a vortex and bring us into a different time period? It's all so confusing. I just don't get it."

"I think the best thing to do is to not think about it, Jay," Nya said, "After all, it's just something not to think about."

"Still, it's all so weird," Jay said.

"The weirdness can be saved for another time, Jay," Zane said.

"Way to ruin the moment, Zane. I was about to bring up a perfect topic."

"I think the best thing to do is keep the silence going," Mom said, "Besides, I think it's time for some children to head off to bed."

"I shall head on to bed as well," Zelda said, "The walking has tired me out."

"No, way, Zelda," Miss Allyman said, "You're staying here and telling everybody why you're this way. Why you're older, is what I meant to say."

"I suppose I will have to explain the truth sooner or later. Allow me to explain everyone."

"You can hear about it in the morning, Lloyd," Mom said, climbing in the tent with me.

"Yeah, about that, I kind of already know about how Zelda turned older," I said, smiling like an idiot.

"I see. Alright, never mind. Let's get ready for bed now."

"You've been tired all day and you refused to sleep in my arms. The best you can do now is get a full night of rest."

"If I had slept in your arms, it would've been embarrassing. Everyone would've laughed."

"Oh, please. When I was a little girl, I used to travel while my mother held me in her all the time. Like me, she was an archeologist, too, so there was always a group of people. I never felt embarrassed, though."

"Back then, it was different. Nowadays, you get made fun of."

"I don't see how anybody can make fun of you out here."

I decided to change the subject as my mother placed me in the sleeping bag. "Mom, was your mother the one that inspired you to be an archeologist?"

"She certainly was. After my father passed away, I had to go on all of her trips. Along the way, I was homeschooled, but that wasn't a problem. I learned everything I needed to know during all of her travels. When I was fourteen, she sent me to an academy that was made for all kinds of scientist."

"Was that how you met Dad?"

"Oh, no. I met you father on one of my own travels. It was a couple of years after I left the academy."

"How long were you at the academy?"

"About five years. I learned everything I needed to know."

I sighed, forcing myself not to go to sleep. "Hey, Mom, where is your mother now?"

"Sadly, she's no longer with us. She's with the Great Sensei."

"What happened to her?"

"What happened to her is none of your business. There's only one thing that is any of your business. You need to get some sleep."

"I can't sleep, Mom. I keep thinking about the bad things that might happen if we don't get home in time. What if we don't find the vase? What if Peace Powers doesn't even have the vase created yet?"

"There's no reason to think about all that."

"Yes, there is. When I worry too much, I can't sleep."

Mom sighed. "You know, when I couldn't sleep, my mother would always come into my tent and tell me a poem that she always remembered by heart. It was her favorite poem."

"Did it ever get you to sleep?"

"It certainly did. Every single time. I'll tell it to you. That should help you get to sleep." Mom placed her hand on my forehead and began the poem.

 _The loved ones in your heart_

 _Will never stay the same_

 _They may turn out different_

 _But they'll always have their rightful name_

 _The loved ones in your heart_

 _Stare into your eyes_

 _From the day that they're born_

 _Until the day that you die_

 _The loved ones in your heart_

 _May leave you one day_

 _But they'll always come back_

 _Even while they're away_

 _A mother's love for her child_

 _Will always come at the start_

 _No matter what happens_

 _They're always the loved ones in your_ heart

My eyes drifted closed automatically. Every word of that poem just made me want to sink away in my dreams. It made me never want to wake up and just blow away from the bad vibes forever. Mom giggled and kissed my cheek goodnight. I smiled, sleeping soundly in the tent. Every muscle in my body was relaxed, but something felt different. It was a feeling I've never had before. I ignored it and continued sleeping. The night was as peaceful as I wanted it to be.

* * *

 **AWWWW! A MOTHER TELLS HER CHILD A POEM. OH, I MADE THIS POEM UP MYSELF, IN CASE YOU WERE WANTING TO KNOW. I WONDER WHY LLOYD'S MUSCLES ARE SO TENSE. I'M JUST WONDERING. I'LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.**

 **OH, I HAVE GOOD NEWS. I GOT A 96 ON MY CHEMISTRY TEST. AWESIME, HUH? I WOULD'VE GOTTEN A HUNDRED IF I REMEMBERED WHAT THE DEFINITION FOR VOLUME WAS. IT WASN'T MUTIPLE CHOICE OR MATCHING IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING.**

 **WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	33. What Happened To Lloyd?

CHAPTER 32

WHAT HAPPENED TO LLOYD?

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

Ugh. I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt that two people older than me were silhouetted and they were kissing. Why in the would would I have a disgusting dream like that? Two people kissing will never be removed from my head. Who could they be? Was it Kai and Kitty? Maybe it was Cole and Carol? I don't wanna put it in my mind that it was my parents. Which it probably wasn't, considering the fact that tells two silhouettes didn't look like either or them. I sighed, getting up on my own two feet. I yawned, stretching out my body. I felt as though something was different about me. I felt different. My eyes felt as though they had bags underneath because I was still feeling tired. I took out a mirror and looked at my face, but it wasn't what I normally saw. My hair looked as though I changed it around. It was still blonde, but a different style. My eyes were still the same. My facial features were different. I felt older. Like I was sixteen or something. Maybe it's because I was.

How did this happen to me? How did I get older again? I had already forgotten how I became younger. Now I'm not sure how I became older. I needed to see someone about this. Oh, I can't go out there looking older and all that. This is terrible. I knew this would one day, but I didn't think it would be today. I sighed, seeing as though I had no other choice. I had to tell everyone about this. Even with their reaction, I think I can handle this. Sure, my mom will cry and dad will g crazy again, but it's nothing I can't handle.

I stepped out of the tent, seeing everyone being served breakfast. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and showed myself. "Good morning, everyone."

Everyone gasped. I knew it would happen. I can handle this. I know I can. I just gotta stay calm and keep still. Sure, everyone was freaking out like I knew they would, but I had to stay calm. No matter what.

Mom almost fainted, but she walked up to me with tears in her eyes. "Lloyd, how did this happen? When I put you to bed last night, you were young and tired. Now your older and fatigue must be running through your head."

"I really don't know how any of this happened," I said, looking over at my father, "Dad?"

"I don't know, son," Dad said, "I'm not as my father once was. Or you uncle."

"Listen, all of this is so confusing. Before, I didn't even know how I turned back into a kid. Now I'm older and I don't even know why. Somebody must have the answer to my question. At least one person here."

"Don't look at me," Kai said.

"I have no idea," Cole said.

"I'm an inventor, not a wise man," Jay said.

"I'm not sure, either," Zane said.

"None of you are any help," Dad said, "Where in the world did my brother find you guys?"

"Was that a rhetorical question?" Kitty asked.

"It certainly was."

"You guys are no help to me at all," I said, "I'll just go and find Uncle Wu."

Mom sighed. "Lloyd, no matter if you're older or younger, your father and I will always love you."

I scoffed, letting the teenage hormones get to me. "I know that, Mom. I'm not that stupid."

"Well, I just wanted you to know."

I sighed and climbed into my uncle's tent. He was meditating in front of his smoke maker, as usual. I sat in front of him, hoping that he would say anything. Anything at all. I suppose he was never going to get out of his meditation mode considering how long he's been in it. I was just about to leave before I heard a voice.

"Remaining seated, nephew," Uncle said, "I know why you're here."

"I guess you're not gonna freak out because I'm older," I said.

"Not at all. I know why this has happened."

"How? Whatever you know, you have to tell me."

"Remember to be patient, nephew. Since you are so excited, I shall tell you. First things first. I will say that the way you turned from older to younger is you accidentally placed yourself in Yesterday's Tea. It's tea that makes you younger, in case you're wondering."

"Well, I figured that out quickly. How did I turn older, though?"

"Can you tell me how you felt last night?"

"Well, this is kind of embarrassing, but my mom had told me a poem to get me to sleep. I get calm and knew that things would go great in life. Then I started feeling weird in my muscles."

"I suppose that was the cure for Yesterday's Tea. To remain calm and peaceful. It seems as though you did what had to be done."

"At least I spent my childhood with good memories."

"You certainly did. Now your childhood has come to an end. It's time to grow up. Now you must learn to once again be a true leader."

"I thought I was already a leader."

"True, but a leader can become better than he already is."

"I guess so. Well, thanks for the talk."

Uncle stopped me before I could leave. "Wait, before you go, there is something we need to discuss."

"What is it?"

"I figured out that your dreams cannot be passed down to Nya. Unfortunately, the green ninja must learn how to predict his own dreams."

"Predict my own dreams? I thought Nya was the Dream Teller."

"She is, but she cannot predict your dreams. There is a way you can predict your own dream, though. The only way to do it is by using meditation."

"Uncle, we don't have time for meditation. We only have four days to get back to our own time period before chaos erupts."

"I didn't say you had to start meditation now. You may try later. I know that we are in a hurry. I shall help you with your meditation tonight. By tomorrow, you will be refreshed and relaxed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You will know about it tonight. Now leave my tent at once."

"Yes, Sensei." I bowed my head in respect and left the tent. I looked over and saw everyone enjoying breakfast.

"Lloyd, come over here," Mom called to me, "I've fixed your breakfast."

"I hope it's something good," I said, "I'm starving."

"Well, a growing boy needs to eat."

"That's the truth." I looked at what was in my bowl. "Is there a reason why we're having noodles for breakfast?"

"It was all I had in my pack," Nya said, "Plus, it was my turn to make breakfast."

"Well, I guess I can live with this."

"Did you figure out what you needed to know, son?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, I did," I said, "I'll tell you about it later."

"Whatever you think is best."

"I'm still wondering how you became older again," Jay said.

"Did you have a dream or something?" Cole asked.

"Did you remember something about your past?" Kai asked.

"I believe it is best if you stop asking ridiculous questions," Zane said.

"Zane`s right," Kitty said, "You three are so immature."

"And to think you three are trying to impress us," Carol said.

"I believe that Zeah made the right choice picking Zane," Jen said, "She's the luckiest to be with such a wonderful man."

"We're not lucky to you girls?" Cole asked.

"Of course you are," Carol said, "You're lucky to us in different ways."

"No matter what happens, we'll always love you," Kitty said.

"Well, at least we ended up with lucky girls," Jay said.

"We're glad you see that," Jen said, "Usually boys are too blind to see the real heart of a girl."

"Do you always have to get straight to the point, Jen?" Nya asked.

"Yes, I certainly do."

On and on and on these couples went. I don't get how love really works. How did those girls end up with those guys? It's all so confusing. As I was eating breakfast, I was thinking about the moment where I would fall in love. Who would I fall in love with? Who could it be? Whoever I would be with, I hope she would 've the lucky one for me.

* * *

 **HERE IT IS EVERYONE. THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. LLOYD IS OFFICIALLY OLDER ONCE AGAIN. I KNEW YOU GUYS WERE WAITING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. TO BE HONEST, I WAS, TOO. I'M AS HAPPY AS YOU ARE.**

 **WELL, I DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD TELL YOU ALL THAT LLOYD IS OLDER AGAIN.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	34. Meditation Throughout the Night

CHAPTER 33

MEDITATION THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT

 **OLDER LLOYD'S POV:**

The day was filled with walking. Too much walking. Then we ran. Then more walking. No break was given to us. If anything, I wish we had horses to ride on instead of walking on our own two feet, making them sore for the night. I sighed, putting up my tent. We were walking in the woods like normal people would. Thanks to Kai trying to prove to us that he could make a better fire than anyone else, he showed it to everyone. Including the bear that was sleeping inside a nearby cave. That's where the running came from. We finally escaped from it after hiding inside a cave filled with bats, who were taking their daytime rest. Once the bear was gone, we ran out after the bats were woken up. After that, we were going back on pace until sunset started coming up.

I finished pitching my tent, readying for a good night's sleep. It was Zane`s night to cook. That's the only thing that's put a smile on my face all day. Besides the fact that I'm older again and all that, I still look forward to the good things in life. I went over to find Zelda. After a long day, all you really wanna do is talk to your best friend. That's what I felt like doing.

Somehow, when I looked at Zelda, she looked different to me in a whole new way when she was older. I had saw her change from younger to older once again. She just looked different. I sighed in an affectionate way. Her hair blowed through the wind. Her eyes glimmered in the stars as the started forming in the sky. Her clothing looked familiar, though. It's like she's a master or mistress or something. I guess I'll never know. Somehow, I feel so... weird around her. I feel as though my heart is screaming out to go to her. Or is that my head? I can't really figure out what it is.

I walked up to Zelda, but before I could say one word to her, Uncle called out my name. "Lloyd. I need to see you."

I looked at Zelda with sad eyes. She must've felt the same way, but she looked at me with sympathetic eyes, saying that we could talk another time. I looked over at my Uncle. "Coming, Uncle Wu." I ran over to my Uncle.

I was about to ask him what he needed, but he raised up a hand. "I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I need from you. Remembering our little conversation this morning?"

"How can I forget?"

"Come onside my tent, nephew."

I placed myself inside the tent, taking a look around. It looked the same as it did this morning, except it had two tents instead of one. "Well, nothing has changed."

"Was something suppose to change?"

"Uh, no. I wasn't expecting a change. Everything is exactly as its suppose to be. If you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean. Have a seat, nephew."

I sat down, looking at my uncle. He was criss crossed with a cup of tea in his hands. When does he never have his cup and teapot with him. I'm just wondering. "I have forgotten one thing, though. What did we talk about this morning?"

"Why, we talked about you learning how to meditate."

"Meditate? What about?"

"What happened in the past. What happens in the future. Specifically, your past and future. Since Nya cannot predict your dreams, you have to predict them yourself by using meditation t help you."

"Now I remember. I just needed a little refresher."

"I understand. Now get into a meditation position."

I sat the same way Uncle did. "This way, Uncle?"

"Yes. Now turn on the smoke maker."

I turned the switch to make it work. "What is the spirit smoke suppose to do?"

"Patience, nephew. Allow me to give you a head start. Look closely at the smoke. Does it wave in the air?"

I looked at the smoke and saw that it was doing the exact waving that Uncle just said. "Yeah."

"Good. Now be patient. It takes a little time for this part. When you see things that look like images, only in smoke form, let me know about it. You are doing the meditation. Not me."

I looked closely in the smoke, not seeing smoke images yet. I have to be patient. Just listen to what my uncle says. I just have to have patience. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment, only to see a visual image of me taking down a weird looking villain. I wasn't able to get any details of it before I opened back up my eyes. I looked to see an image of me kicking an opponent. An evil opponent, to be exact.

"I see an image," I said.

"What do you see?" Uncle asked.

"It looks like me taking down an opponent."

"What kind of opponent?"

"My opponent seems... evil."

"Assuming that it's evil may make it become that way in the future. Try getting a good description of your opponent. Just close your eyes and think it through one step at a time."

I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath. Usually, it helps, especially with this kind of meditation. I saw another visual image, but this time it was the opponent I was fighting before. He was wearing a straw hat that covered his face, but I could still see the glowing red in his eyes. His body image was green. Just plain green. I opened my eyes and saw the smoke image right in front of me.

"I saw it," I said.

"What does it look like?" Uncle asked.

"It was green all over. I couldn't see its face because it was hidden by a shadow, but I did see the glow of its red eyes. Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"We all say that at every chance we get."

"So what's next?"

"You will be meditating throughout the night."

"The whole night?"

"Indeed. That won't be too hard. I've done it plenty of times. Meditation is how I sleep most nights."

"It's different with you. You're used to it. I'm not."

"You will be used to it. In fact, when I meditate at night, I think of ways that may help the team. Or if there's no danger, than I think of happy thoughts."

"What kind of happy thoughts?"

"Thoughts that are personal and you don't need to know about them. You're only distracting yourself."

"I'm not distracting myself. I just don't think I can do this alone."

"You're not alone, Lloyd. Go deep into your thoughts and think of ways that we may be able to use in order to return to our time period."

"That's the problem. I already know how, but I just don't know the second part. I don't know where to begin with all that. The sorcerer that I spoke with said that the only way to escape is to find true love. How is true love suppose to help us in this situation?"

"You are overthinking, Lloyd. It's not good to do that when you go into meditation mode."

"You're right, Uncle. Sorry about that."

"Now the first thing we need to do is clear our mind of all the negative thoughts. The best way to do that is to think of the good times. Think of times when you were the happiest person alive. You wish to continue those happy days. Once you come to all that, the future will come to you. Only remember the steps that I have told you to take."

I thought of times when I was happy the most. My birthday, my family and all that. Especially Christmas. Now that was a good memory. That's something I'll never forget. Oh, and the times I've spent with Zelda. Zelda. The one and only girl that I know is right for me. I formed a smile on my face as I saw her image. Now I visualized her as how she is at night. How she looks when she's older. I saw my mind go deep in the future. It was me. I was standing close to the edge of a mountain, looming closely into the eyes of a... shadow. I kissed it. I knew it had to be a girl. But who? Clearing my confusion, the shadow turned into light. A golden spark of light as a vortex was placed beside us. I opened my eyes to the sounds of birds chirping outside. I knew who that golden ball of light had to be. Could it be who I thought it was?

I looked at my uncle, who had just opened his eyes. "How do you feel, Lloyd?"

"I feel...calm," I said, "I haven't felt this way in a while. Was I meditating all night?"

"Indeed. As was I. Morning has come. A new day is starting. It's time to head out."

I got out of the tent, seeing Zelda in her younger version. She looked up at me and smiled in her little girl way. I sighed, sitting around the fireplace, waiting for breakfast to begin.

Kai came over and sat down next to me. "Say, Lloyd, did you get a good night sleep?"

I looked at him with a smile on my face. "I did, Kai. In fact, I had the best sleep ever. I should used that method more often."

"What method?"

"Nothing."

After breakfast, we hit the road once again. I sighed happily. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I should sleep and meditate at the same time more often. It makes me feel good. I'm glad to be refreshed and relaxed for once.

* * *

 **AH, MEDITATION. THE BEST WAY TO RELAX. I KNOW THAT'S THE TRUTH. I GUESS YOU ALL KNOW WHO'S GONNA BE LLOYD'S TRUE LOVE. JUST DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD IN YOUR REVIEWS. I DON'T WANT THE SECRET TO BE LET OUT.**

 **WELL, THAT'S ALL I GOTTA SAY.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	35. Romance In The Past

CHAPTER 34

ROMANCE IN THE PAST

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

We were running out of time. Today was day five of our journey. Just two more day, but we're nowhere ear our destination. We're just a few villages away, my uncle says. How many villages? Four? Five? Maybe six? I really don't know. It was another long day of walking and running. The same old thing. Sunset once again snuck up on us. We decided to set up camp close up to a village that was right below us. That village looked slightly familiar. Like I've seen it before. No matter. Camp was finally set up by sundown. As usual, Zelda changed into her older self. Here come the butterflies in my stomach again. Why do I fee so we're when I'm around her? More importantly, why do I feel that way when I'm around her and she's exactly my age? I couldn't take it anymore. I had to talk to someone. Anyone. Unfortunately, that someone had to be Zelda because she was the first one to come up and speak to me.

"Good evening, Lloyd," Zelda said. If anything, the way she spoke to people will never end. Don't get me wrong, I like the way she talks, but the way she speaks somehow just never gets annoying.

"Good, evening, Zelda," I said. Don't try to copy her, Lloyd. It's just not worth it.

"Is everything alright, Lloyd? You've been pretty silent since you became older. I'm starting to worry about you."

"Oh, well, there's nothing to worry about. I'm okay. Everything's fine. I've been meaning to ask you if everything's okay with you, but you seem to be doing fine."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am doing well. I'm glad you knew that."

I chuckled nervously. "So, uh, who's cooking dinner tonight?"

"I hear that Cole is and none of them are happy about it."

"I'll let you in on a little secret. Cole is a terrible cook. When he cooks, you know dinner`s gonna be a disaster. The best thing to do is either skip it or sneak something else to eat Dr the night."

"Wouldn't it depend on how horrible his cooking is?"

"It would, but it doesn't work that way."

Zelda giggled. "Well, since you're the one that's telling me all this, let's go and search for food ourselves."

"Just the two of us?"

"Of course, silly. Come on."

Zelda ran off into the woods. Worried that she might get lost, I ran in behind her to catch up. I was out of breath by the time I found Zelda climbing up a tree full of pears. Wow. Fruit of nature. You can't get any better than than. I heard Zelda laughing as she sat upon the tree and started taking a pear from its twig. She looked down at me.

"Come on up," Zelda called, "There's room for one more."

I climbed up the tree, thankful that I still had enough energy to do that. Once I got up there and finally sat down next to Zelda on the large, thick branch, I was given a pear. I smiled, graceful that I wouldn't be eating food that was made by Cole tonight. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I figured this would be a better dinner."

"It beats having to eat Cole's food. There was this one time where my uncle punished Cole by making him cook for a week. We all ended up having to eat some of the worst food I was glad to never stomach again afterwards. I'm sure my uncle learned his lesson to never give Cole the punishment of cooking ever again."

"I would never punish anyone by making them cook all my meals. Especially if they don't know how to cook."

"You read my mind."

"No, you said it out loud."

I laughed in an anxious way. "So, uh, Zelda, I've been thinking. What do you think your future will be like?"

Zelda sighed. "I'd rather not talk about that. I may not have a future that gives me the chance to return to normal. I'll be sixteen years old for the rest of my life and I'll just have to live with that."

"Don't say that. Maybe a miracle will happen and you won't end up being sixteen forever."

"Well, saying that a miracle may happen does make me feel better."

"I'm glad to hear you say that."

"I'm wondering, though, Lloyd. Now that your older once more, what will the future be like for you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll have a lot of enemies to fight and all that, becoming something more than the golden ninja. Who knows? I may become a sensei. I might just settle down and start a family. There are many way to spend my life."

"So many ways to spend a person's life. I wish I were that way. Unfortunately, I have to hide away at night because I fear that people will think of me as an outcast since I become older."

"I was the first one to know about all this. I didn't think of you as an outcast when you told me."

"That's because you're my friend. You understand whatever problem I have. You're a great friend. You've help Brad find his parents. Who could be a greater friend than that?"

"I can't think of a more greater friend."

"Exactly."

Zelda threw her finished pear on the ground, picking another one from off the sane twig. I looked to see that I was only halfway finished with mine. "Don't bother getting an extra one. I may not be finished with this."

"Nonsense." Zelda took an extra pear and handed it to me. "You'll finish it soon. Just in case, you can have this one."

"Thanks." I sat it down next to me. "How did your Mom take it when she found out that you became older at night?"

"She took it okay. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"See. Good things happen when you tell people what's going on. Especially if you have a problem."

"Well, I wouldn't call it a good thing, but whatever floats your boat."

I had finished up with my first pear, but I was still hungry. I took the other pear from beside me, but I saw that it was gone. I looked to see that I dropped it on the ground. Oh, well. The woodland creatures can have it. "Oh, well. I guess one pear will do."

"I think I've had enough. Would you like to go for a walk?"

"Yeah. Sounds good to me."

We hopped down from the tree and started walking, making sure to not go too far from the camp. I don't know why, put I had the urge to hold Zelda`s hand. So I did. She looked at me, blushing and smiling at the same time. I was thinking about letting go of her hand to make her feel less mortified, but she gripped my hand in a tight squeeze. I smiled, seeing that she wanted me to keep her hand in hand. I sighed peacefully, thanking the Great Sensei for giving us this wonderful moment.

"I'm actually enjoying this walk," Zelda said.

"So am I," I said.

"If anything, I'm glad to be walking with you. There's nobody else I would rather stroll down the trail with."

"You know, I've had these feelings for a while."

"What kind of feelings?"

"I've felt as though you and I have some sort of... connection with each other."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that I may have some... feelings for you."

"Feelings? For little old me?"

"Yes. Feelings for you."

"How do you feel about me?"

"Well, it's kind of a long explanation."

"I'm sure we have a few minutes before we have to go back to the camp."

"Well, alright." I took a deep breath, thinking of how I was going to speak. "I feel that-" Before I could say anything, I felt something hit the back of my head.

"Lloyd, help!" Zelda shouted.

My vision was well enough to see what was taking Zelda. I looked to see that it was the same creatures that I saw in the smoke visions. I kept my grounds, but my head was swirling so bad that I couldn't even keep my eyes open for long.

"Zelda, I promise I'll come back for you," I said.

"Fight them, Lloyd," Zelda said, "I know you can."

"His head is too dizzy to do anything," the creature holding Zelda said.

"Lloyd, go and get the others."

"Zelda, I need to tell you something," I said, staring into her eyes, "I love you." I passed out after that, seeing nothing but darkness.

The last thing I saw was Zelda`s tear stained face. I felt like crying as well, but I was too unconscious to do it. I had visions that showed me where Zelda was. A mountain. I know I've seen it before. It was the largest mountain in all of Ninjago. It's like I've seen it before. I couldn't think, though. I may have told Zelda that I loved her, but I have the feeling that I will never see her again.

* * *

 **HE CONFESSED. HE CONFESSED. LLOYD LOVES ZELDA. I HOPE THEY SAVE ZELDA.**

 **WELL, I'LL SEE YOU GUYS TOMORROW.**

 **I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	36. Plans To Rescue Zelda

CHAPTER 35

PLANS TO RESCUE ZELDA

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

Oh, my head. It was splitting. I wonder where I was. Well, if I could open my eyes, I could see exactly where I was. My head hurt too much to even think about opening my eyes. I sighed, moving my hand and touching my forehead. I felt what seemed to be a damp rag resting on my forehead, trying it best to cool down the throbbing pain in my head. I opened my eyes as slowly as I could, careful not to cause anymore pain by staring into the light. Once my eyes were opened, I saw my mother enter the tent with a bowl in her hands. I'm wondering what was in that bowl. I tried sitting up and greeting her, but the throbbing in my head told me otherwise. I placed myself back down on the pillow. My mother placed her hand gently on my shoulder.

"Easy, Lloyd," Mom said, "You've been through a little too much."

"A little too much?" I said, "More like way too much. What happened?"

"When you and Zelda didn't come back to the camp, your father and I started to get worried. We sent the ninja out to find you two. They found you, but Zelda was nowhere to be seen."

"Mom, Zelda has been taken by some creature. I didn't get a good view of what it was, but it looked evilish."

"A creature?"

"I don't even know what it was. We need to go out and find Zelda." I tried sitting up, but my head said otherwise. I placed myself back down on the pillow. "How did I hurt my head?"

"That what I was about to ask, but you seem to ask those questions first. Whatever happened, you need to take it easy."

"Take it easy? Mom, we don't have time. If we don't get home, chaos will erupt. If we don't find Zelda, chaos will definitely erupt. We need to get a move on."

"Until you're not too dizzy, we can get a move on, but for now, you need to rest."

"Mom, time is of the essence. We need to be back home before tomorrow night. If we don't find Zelda and get back home by then, Ninjago is doomed. I don't wanna be known as a failure."

"You won't be known as a failure if you keep trying. That's all you can do."

I sighed. "Well, since I can't get up, I might as well Just talk until I can."

"Okay, what would you like to talk about?"

"About last night. Zelda and I were... alone in the woods. We were walking and eating pears because we didn't think stomaching Cole's food was worth it. I was just about to tell her how I felt about her before she got kidnapped. Before I blacked out, I had told her that I loved her. I admitted it, Mom. I love Zelda. With all my heart. Seeing that she's gone just hurts my heart."

"Do you think Zelda feels the same way about you?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's just an educated guess."

"You never make an educated guess when it comes to love. If anything, you have to wait until the truth is told."

"How do you know all about love?"

"I fell in love with you father, Lloyd. I should know. He loved me, but he didn't know that the whole time, I loved him back."

"Wow. Maybe Zelda loves me, but I'm just not sure. I just don't know how to say it in words."

"How to say what in words?"

"About how I feel about her. I just don't know how I can tell her."

"It takes time to think of the right words, Lloyd. You'll figure it out."

"At this point, I hope you're right."

"You'll see in the future that I am."

"Lloyd, Misako," Dad said, coming inside the tent, "My brother wants everyone outside at once. He's figured out where Zelda is. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can get back to our own time period." He left back outside.

Mom sighed. "There are times when I feel as though you are just like you father. Is your head feeling better?"

"Well, it's still throbbing a bit, but I think I'll be alright for now."

"Alright. Cone on, Lloyd."

I followed my mother out of the tent and went outside to see everyone else was gathered around my uncle. Everyone was mumbling to themselves. They all looked to see me, thankful that I was alright. I may be okay, but Zelda may not be.

"Okay, Uncle, we're all here," I said.

"Good," Uncle said, "What I'm about to say is important. I want every single one of you listening."

"What is it, Sensei?" Cole asked.

"Zelda has been taken by... Ribulls."

"What's a Ribull?" Kitty asked.

"I've read about those," Jen said, "Ribulls are man eating creatures that only existed until the 1970s."

"What happened to them?" Carol asked.

"Nobody knows. They just disappeared."

"You still haven't answered my question," Kitty said.

"Oh, right," Jen said, "Ribulls are man eating creatures, as I said before. They're a mixture of a rhino and a bull, but the also walk and speak like human. Like most creatures, they have their own language. The workers that have never been schooled only speak their native tongue. High rankers and middle class can speak English."

"How can they be man eating creatures, though?" Jay asked, "Both a rhino and a bull are herbivores."

"True, but these creatures are different. Since they act like humans, they eat like humans. Only they eat more like pigs and plants are their weakness if they take a bite out of any of it."

"So what happens to them when they eat plants?" Kitty asked.

"Well, I'll just state it like this," Jen said, "They only have three days to live."

"Is there an antidote?" Kai asked.

"No, but during their existence, they've been working on one," Jen said, "The only way they get their strength is by eating meat."

"What kind do they eat?" Nya asked.

"Whatever they can get their hands on. Mostly it's your usual everyday woodland creature. The rare type is... humans."

"Humans?!" we all shouted.

"Yep," Jen said.

"They have Zelda," Lloyd said, "Who knows what they could do to her? If they eat humans, then..." I sighed. "I don't even wanna think about it."

"There is still time to save Zelda, but we only have until tomorrow at sunrise," Uncle said, "Whenever the Ribulls capture a rare type of prey, it takes them a day or so on what to do with it. For all we know, Zelda may be inside a dungeon, waiting on us to rescue her."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I said, "Let's get to her."

"Easy, son," Dad said, "We know you're worried about Zelda, but first things first. We need to come up with a plan."

"We don't have time."

"Yes, we do, Lloyd," Uncle said, "Have some patience. Things take time."

"You guys don't get it," I said, "I'm tired of waiting. The love of my life is out there and is more likely to be consumed by man eating creatures if we don't get to her now."

"Wait a second," Kitty said, "Did you just say that Zelda is the love of your life?"

"I'll explain all that later. Right now, we need to go."

"Lloyd, listen to my words," Mom said, "Take a deep breath and sit down. As worried as you are, I'm sure that you have a plan to get Zelda back."

I sighed. "I do, but it only involves me rescuing her."

"And we're not going to stop you from doing that. All you need to do is tell the rest of us which position we need to be in while you go and rescue her."

I looked at everyone. This time, they were waiting on me to speak. So I did. "Okay, here's the plan. I don't like doing this, but we're going to have to split up. Aunt Lora, I need you to lead the girls to the left side. Uncle, I need you to lead the guys to the right side. Miss Allyman, how good are you at fighting?"

"Well, I was an experience karate fighter up until I was fifteen, but I know a few secret moves up my sleeve," Miss Allyman said.

"Good. We'll need you to protect the children. Stay as close to the entrance as possible, but try not to get caught."

"You have my word."

"Okay, guys. Let's move out."

Packing everything, we rushed away pretty fast. I was in a hurry to find Zelda. It wasn't because I was willing to get back to our time period. I could care less about that. I was more concerned about getting Zelda back more than anything else. I can't stand to see the sight of losing her by Ribulls. If I lost her, I don't know what I'll do. I don't know how I could take it.

* * *

 **OH, NO. MAN EATING CREATURES CALLED RIBULLS HAVE TAKEN ZELDA. I HOPE LLOYD AND THE OTHERS SAVE HER IN TIME BEFORE THOSE CREATURES DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH HER.**

 **GOT A SPANISH TEST TOMORROW. WISH ME LUCK.**

 **I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	37. Zeldas Faith

CHAPTER 36

ZELDA`S FAITH

 **OLDER ZELDA`S POV:**

I was chained up by my feet in a dungeon, imprisoned by some of the most horrid creatures I've ever seen in my life. I could barely think thanks to the awful headache they gave me. Throughout the day, while I was younger, I was beaten and tortured. They broke my ankle and bruised up my wrist, straining it. My left shoulder was whip about three times. It was red and swollen up. The rest of my body was covered in cuts and scrapes. My eyes were drooping, but I forced myself not to go into slumber. I was scared that when I woke up, they would have me inside a cage to become their entertainment. Being tortured is what they want. Seeing me drop to my knees in tears is really what they want to see. To laugh and point fingers at me. I'm like a jester to these devilish creatures.

Tears fell from my cheeks. It hurt to cry, but I couldn't help my emotions. I couldn't control them. In fact, I had no control over anything at all. I was tired, for one thing. I was hungry, but they wouldn't feed me. I was alone because I didn't have my friends and mother here with me. Most importantly, I didn't have Lloyd.

The last thing we said before we were split apart was that he loves me. He said it right in front of me. I knew he only said that because he felt something for me. We had feelings for each other that nobody else would ever have. The question was only one. Do I love Lloyd back? There's only one answer for that. Yes.

Footsteps descended down the hall. One of those creatures came to my cell door and started unlocking it with a key. He opened the cell door and came inside. The first thing he did was walk over to me and slap me in the face. Afterwards, he unhooked the chains from my feet and used his arms to force me to stand up.

"Hey!" the creature exclaimed, "You look different. Weren't you smaller a little while before?"

"As a matter of fact, I was," I said, "A curse has been brought upon me."

"Looks like we better tell the big boss about this. Let's get you to him."

The creature led me out of the dungeons and took me to this gigantic room that I haven't seen before. I had no idea what these creatures were, but they did seem to like the color red. After all, their bodies were red and so was their eyes. At first, I thought they were green, but their body color actually changes when their emotions do. My theory is that these things get angry a lot. Well, it's always easy to tell.

I was thrown to the floor, barely able to walk thanks to my leg, but I was forced to stand on it during the short trip here. I sighed trying to get up, but something kept me from doing so. I looked up to see a creature wearing a black cloak and its body was completely red. Looks like this creature is mad all the time.

"What happened to you?" the creature with the cloak growled.

"Nothing happened to me," I said, "I'm young by day and older by night. Aren't I beautiful when the sun goes down? Besides, I'll be back to my young self by tomorrow morning. Forgive me for being so snappy. You're the one that caused it."

"I was the one that caused it. In case you haven't noticed, I am the leader of the Ribulls. I don't cause anything. I make things happen."

"So that's what your tribes name is. How ridiculous. Tell me, oh great leader. What kind of animal are you? A bull or a rhino?"

All the guards inside the room laughed. The leader placed his eyes on me, giving me a glare. "It seems you have a bit of a sense of humor there. Well, I can make people laugh, too."

"How? You're as ugly as your words. How can you possibly make anyone laugh when they're laughing at your body more than your jokes?"

Everyone laughed again. The leader was starting to get frustrated. "What are you trying to do? Make me look like a fool?"

"Make you look like a fool? Oh, my goodness. No. I would never do that. Well, maybe just a little. I know good and well that you plan to make me the center of entertainment soon. If that's going to happen, I'll be making jokes about you while you torture me for sport. By the way, your horns look like deer antlers."

Nobody laughed that time. The leader chuckled. "Looks like nobody got that joke."

"Oh, really. I have plenty of them. You'll see."

"I don't want to hear anything else. I know what you're trying to do. You're causing a scene to make sure I'm too distracted to do anything."

"Why would I be trying to distract you? You're more of a distraction by the looks of your body than they are of my beautiful form."

The guards laughed once more. The leader became furious. "That's it! Guards, leave the room at once! I need to talk to this girl alone."

The guards left out of the room quickly. I gave the leader a nervous chuckle. "I suppose the show is over."

"You got that right. Thanks to you, my precious time is wasted. Well, no more. I brought you down here for a reason and I'm gonna make sure it happens."

"What are you going to let happen?" This time, I had no thoughts about joking around. This time, I was scared.

"I need to take some of your... blood."

I gasped. "My... blood. For what?"

"I've decided on something. Your too previous and too beautiful to be eaten."

"Eaten? What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to explain. You see, Ribulls are man eating creatures. Finding a human to devour is rare. When we find something rare, we wait a day or so to see what we should do with it. I've already decided what we should do with you. Once every three days, we shall take blood from you."

"How much?"

"About an ounce. I told you that you're too beautiful too destroy."

"I'd rather be destroyed than you take my blood."

"Not gonna happen."

"What do you want with my blood, anyway?"

"What do I want with it? If my mind tells me not to eat such a beautiful image, then I might as well drink the flesh that gives you life."

"Please, don't do this to me. I'd rather be set free."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let somebody like you go. I'll make sure you rot in your cell each day. I'll make sure it's locked tightly. I'll make sure you never see the day again."

"I can't stay here."

"You didn't let me finish. I'll make sure that you never eat again. I'll make sure that you never sleep. I'll make sure that you never do anything that's fun ever again."

"I'm not from this time period. I'm from the future. If I don't get back home in time, chaos will erupt and you will be in the midst of it. They will make sure to get rid of you first."

"If we are to go down, then you will go down with us."

"I will never go down! You know why?"

"Why?"

I released a glowing ball of energy from my hands, shooting it at the leader. He fell to the ground, grunting in pain. He stood up, glaring his angry eyes at me. "That's why."

"What are you?"

"I am the Mistress of Light, and I have no fear."

"You will have fear, and you shall enjoy it. Every single negative thing will be an enjoyment to you."

I sighed, seeing that I have been defeated. "Do what you must."

"Will you let me take your blood?"

"It seems you are in control of me. I no longer have control of myself. You shall make every decision for me every single moment of my life. I will never have the power to stop you."

"I'm glad you see it my way." He motioned for me to sit in a soft chair. "Have a seat."

"Why?"

"I plan to take your blood."

"Now?"

"Now."

"You just told me about all this."

"I know, but I really wanna know what your blood taste like."

I sighed. "Do as you must."

"Good girl. Now take a seat."

I placed myself inside the chair, propping my arm up on the table. The leader whistled to the door and in came a guard with a tub in his hands. He set the tub on the table and it was filled with needles and test tubes. Another guard came in with a towel and a bowl of cold water. Probably to keep me calm when blood was taken out of me. The leader removed a needle from the tub and brought it up towards me.

I closed my eyes, fearing the needle coming towards my arm. As it poked through my arm, I cringed in pain. Taking deep breaths, I tried to relax my muscles from the needle in my arm. I wasn't sure how long it took one needle to take blood from my arm. Once it was removed, the next one came. Just before it entered my arm, the door crashed opened. Who came through it? People that I was glad to see again.

* * *

 **YOU SHOULD KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE. AT LEAST THEY CANE JUST IN TIME.**

 **I'M NOT FEELING IT TODAY. I COMPLAIN A LOT. I KNOW.**

 **I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS CHAPTER. THERE ARE A FEW TO GO.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	38. A Battle That Will Last The Night

CHAPTER 37

A BATTLE TO LAST THE NIGHT

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

I was horrified by the look of things. These Ribulls not only tortured Zelda, but they were drawing her blood. They can't take that. That's her way of life. It angered me so. It actually made tears fall from my eyes. I might be a guy, but I still have problems with controlling my own emotions. I was shaking, feeling as though I wanted to sink to the floor and weep with everything I had. I couldn't. I couldn't cower in the shadows. I had to stand up and fight. The tears in my eyes will prove that I'm ready for anything. I drew out my sword. Everyone else did the same, bringing out their own weapons. I stared at those creatures coldly. They're going to pay for all the trouble they caused. Every bit of it. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I gave out a battle cry, signaling to everyone that a war has started.

While everyone else went to fight off guards, I made my way to the leader and fought him. At first, our swords were just clinging. Nothing much was going on. Once our swords were fighting against each other for one of us to go down, I took action and kicked the leader in the legs, tripping him and making him fall. I jumped out of the way, letting him get up and glare at me.

"I figured somebody would come and rescue the young girl," the leader said.

"Looks like that someone happens to be me," I said, "I won't let you lay another hand on her."

"I'll make sure you never see anymore of her again. Guards, take the girls back to the dungeon!"

"Sir, the girl is gone!" one of the guards said.

I looked to see that the chair Zelda was sitting in was empty. I smiled. "Looks like you have a little more time on your plate. Why don't you look over here?"

"Why?" the leader asked. The moment he said that, I punched him in the mouth.

Another fight began, but this time it was physical. Every punch that this leader made I backed away from them. Every time I threw a punch, half the Times he would dodge t, but some of them he didn't move away in time. I had a feeling that he was letting me punch him to show people battle scars in the future. I would make sure that he didn't show battle scars. I would make sure that he wasn't shown at all to anybody.

I didn't notice that he took a pair of nunchucks from behind him. He slung them at me and hit me in the side of my face beside my right eye. It cause a bruise to end up on my face, also giving me a huge headache. I heard something slap beside me. I looked to see the leader with a whip in his other hand. He smacked the whip on my leg. The pain stung pretty bad, but I still got up, staring him right in the eye. He swung the whip at me, but this time he missed. I had jumped out of the way just in time.

"You can't take me down," I said, "No matter how many times you swing that whip at me."

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't take that girl back with you," the leader said, "Look what she did to my chest."

I looked to see a spot of gold on his chest. I gasped. "Who did that to you?"

"The girl did. She told me that she was the mistress of light and threw some kind of golden ball on me that left this behind."

"Zelda is the mistress of light?"

"Yes, something like that. Now hold still so I can have fun torturing you."

A whip lash was made on my back as quick as lightning. I fell to the floor. I looked at everyone else to see that the battle wasn't going too well with them. Everyone was either down and couldn't get back home or they were hurt, but still continued to fight. It was just one way or another. Another whip lash was made on my back. I moved away quickly. If I kept getting whipped, I was gonna bleed out. I had to figure out a way to get that whip away from him.

I figured out an idea. I jumped out of sight to where the leader couldn't see me. I'm pretty sure he was acting like an idiot trying to search for me. Being as quiet as I possibly can, I snuck up behind him, snatching the whip out of his hand. The leader turned around to look at me. I gave him and smirk, swinging the whip right at him. The whip mark went right to his abdomen. I jumped down to the floor. I went over to the leader and held to whip out to swing it in his face. I'm pretty sure he had another, because he shouted out, "Stop the fight?"

Everyone stopped the fight. The guards stood in a straight line. That must be what they do when the leader stops the battle. My friends were either lying on the floor or doing their best to stand.

The leader stood. "I've had enough of this. I cannot fight you anymore. You are weakening both me and my army. If you want the girl back, take her. I don't care anymore."

"Why did you take her in the first place?" I asked, whip in hand.

"We are Ribulls. We do whatever we can to find whatever meat is out there. We are carnivores. We try to get our hands on whatever meat is out there. Why can't you just understand that?"

"Why did you take Zelda? I was with her when you kidnapped her. You took her instead of me. What was more important about her?"

"She was beautiful. I figured something so fragile should be tortured a lot more. Besides, you're too strong and would survive a lot longer than her."

I raised the whip up. "Listen here. If you ever try to harm another human soul again, I'll make sure your days are filled with horrifying nightmares. I'll fill your dreams up every night."

"Alright, alright. I'll never harm another human soul again. I promise."

"Are you sure about that promise?"

"Well, I may break a little bit of it."

"I'm not gonna take any chances." I raised the whip up higher and tried to take him down before somebody lowered my arm. I looked to see that it was my mother.

"He let us go, Lloyd," Mom said, "He may not change his ways, but he's letting us go. Let's go find Zelda and get back home."

"I'm not leaving until I get my revenge. I'm not gonna let him walk free. Not after what he did to Zelda."

"Revenge is never the answer, Lloyd. As I said before, you can't change his ways. The best thing we can do is go home. I'm sure Zelda is waiting or you."

I sighed. "Alright."

We walked out of the lair of the Ribulls. Once we were out of the cave, we searched around to see where the others were. Brad was sitting together against the giant cave. Nick and Monica were sitting together, worried looks in their eyes. Miss Allyman was tending to her daughter's wounds. She pressed a damp rag over her head. Zelda was breathing heavily, opening and closing her eyes repeatedly.

Mom knelt down beside Zelda. "How is she?"

"Her injuries aren't too serious, but they need to be tended to as quickly as possible," Miss Allyman said.

"If only we could get back to our own time period," I said, "We would be able to get her to a hospital."

"Look, the sun is coming up," Monica said.

"Looks like the beginning of dawn is coming upon us," Nick said.

"Lloyd, I need to speak to you for a moment," Uncle said.

I stood up. "What is it, Uncle?"

"I figured something out. The peace symbol is not what will return us home."

"What? Then how are we gonna get back home?"

"There is one way." He pointed over at Zelda.

"How did you know?"

"I'm not that dumb. I always know."

"I guess if it's he only way."

I walked over to Zelda, gently placing a hand on her cheek. She opened her eyes, smiling when she saw me. "I knew you would come to my rescue."

"I would never leave you behind," I said.

"We've been through too much together, Lloyd. I'm just ready to go home."

"There's only one way we can do that."

"I know it can't be the peace symbol."

"It's not."

Zelda sighed. "Do you really love me?"

I closed my eyes, opening them back up instantly. "Yes, I do love you, Zelda. I love you more than any other girl in this world."

"I never thought you felt about me that way."

"Well, I have those feelings for you. Don't you ever doubt that."

"Your a wonderful person, Lloyd. I love you."

"I love you, too, Zelda."

As our eyes licked upon each other, so did out lips. Our kiss was a beautiful one. A glowing gold surrounded the both of us. A moment passed by and everyone was cheering. I looked around to see that we were in the living room. Zelda was lying on the couch. The sun had risen. I looked to see that Zelda was still her older self. Looks like the curse was broken. She might've grown up too fast, but at least we had grown up together as the sweethearts we were meant to be.

* * *

 **HOORAY! THEIR HOME! IT TURNS OUT THE BEST WAY TO END A STORY IS BY TRUE LOVE'S FIRST KISS. OH, AND ZELDA IS PERMANENTLY OLDER. JUST GIVING YOU A HEAD'S UP.**

 **DON'T WORRY. THIS ISN'T THE LAST CHAPTER. THE NEXT ONE IS, THOUGH. SORRY TO SAY THAT.**

 **WELL, I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**


	39. Epilogue: Well, This is The End

CHAPTER 38

EPILOGUE: WELL, THIS IS THE END

 **LLOYD'S POV:**

The past two days have been busy. Really busy, to be exact. After we came back with Brad`s parents, we called that lady from the adoption agency and explained to her what had happened. At first, she couldn't believe any of it, but after seeing all of us and seeing that we were missing for the past week and a half, she started believing everything we said. Brad`s and his parents were busy getting settled back in to their home. Even though they had overdue bills to pay and rent to send in, they did whatever they could to make sure everything was back to normal. The last we heard from them was last night when they said that they were going out. Hopefully they won't look at any peace symbols while they were gone. Trust me, I don't ever want to go to a different time period ever again.

The morning came around. My plans were to go over to Zelda`s house and take care of her while her mother went out to take care of some things. Zeah`s father was able to tend to her injuries. Afterwards, we took her home, where she needed a few days or so of rest to heal. I had made some pie last night as a gift to Zelda and her mother. When I went over there, Miss Allyman hugged me and invited me inside.

The house looked nice as always. Everything was cleaned and shiny. She probably made sure the house was cleaned so I would be more focused on Zelda. How could I even think about helping with all the house cleaning when Zelda was more important than that? I wasn't gonna say that out loud. I'm just not sure how she does it.

"I'm glad that you were able to come over, Lloyd," Miss Allyman said, "I've got so much on my plate today, but I really couldn't keep Zelda alone. The beginning of the month has past so I need to go pay the bills. I need to head out to the grocery store and grab some stuff. I also need to go and unenroll Zelda from school. Oh, I have no time for anything."

"Don't worry, Miss Allyman," I said, "I'll take care of Zelda. This time, I won't let her out of my sight."

"I hope not. I'm kind of worried to leave the two of you alone after what happened in the other time period, but even if something did happen, I know that you'll always go back to save her."

"That's true."

"Well, I'll leave now since time is wasting. I'll be back sometime after noon."

"Do you mind if I could give you a little warning?"

"I know what you're about to say. Stay away from any peace symbols that were made by Peace Powers himself. Don't worry, I'll stay as far away from any peace symbol as possible. Going into another time period was the worst adventure I've ever went on."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Well, I'll be off now. If there's any trouble, don't hesitate to call me."

"I won't. Bye."

Miss Allyman smiled, closing the door behind her. I took the bag that I had in my hand and took out some roses. I placed the pie on the counter and walked upstairs, roses in hand. I was right in front of Zelda`s room. I took a deep breath. I know that she wanted to see me again, but I didn't want her to wake up until I had the flowers in her pink vase that she made in art class. We had to do a project and create our own flower vase out of gray clay and the painted it. Mine didn't turn out so well, but Zelda was more of an artist than I was.

I quietly opened the door to Zelda`s room. The inside was painted yellow, her favorite color. The door was a bright shade of pink. There are still some thing that were considered to be for a little girl, but I'm sure Zelda will place them in storage. They would look wonderful for a little girl to play with. I know the perfect little girl that would love to play with all of them. I'm not talking about Monica, but we would enjoy them. I'm sure of it.

I walked over next to her bed, careful not to wake her up. I looked to see that her other nightstand had a vase that was filled with sunflowers. They were real, so water was placed inside it. The roses I bought were real, so I put the roses in the vase quietly and went downstairs to get a glass of water so the roses wouldn't wilt. I walked upstairs and quietly entered Zelda`s room again. I saw that she was still asleep. I carefully poured the water inside the vase. I was worried the both the water and the sound of the vase would wake Zelda. Luckily, it didn't. All Zelda did was turned her head in her sleep. I smiled, seeing that she was comfortable. I went back downstairs to search through the bag. I grabbed the next gift and went back upstairs. I quietly entered her room once again, grabbing the gift from behind my back.

It was a stuff, fluffy pink teddy bear. It looked like the same one Brad got for Staci on Valentine's Day, only this one was an actual size. I placed the stuff animal next to Zelda. There was just one more thing I needed to get her. This didn't involve having to go back downstairs, but it did involve a type of affection. I bent down and kissed Zelda`s forehead. This made her eyes flutter as she woke up. Now I was ready for her to open her eyes.

She giggled softly when she saw me. "Good morning, Lloyd."

"Morning, Zelda," I said.

"It's always good to have someone come over to visit. Especially you. It makes me feel as though I missed you for the past two days."

"I feel the same way."

"Do you think that you could help me sit up a little?"

"Sure." I grabbed Zelda`s good arm gently, placing my hand around her back. Slowly, and gently, I pulled her up a little until she was in a sitting position. I placed one of her throw pillows on her head. I patted her on the shoulder. "How does that feel?"

"Better. Thank you. I hate lying down on my back all the time. I must say that I hate lying down in this bed period."

"I know. I would hate having to be coop up in bed, too. It's happened before, though."

"I'm sure it has. By the way, how are those whip lash marks of yours?"

"They still sting, but on the bright side, the ointment I'm putting on is making them heal. I'm just glad to be out of that time period."

"Oh, don't even get me started."

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"Wait, did I just apologize for no reason? I guess I only said that because you didn't want me to talk about what happened."

"Oh. Don't worry about it."

I sighed. "Zelda, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Is it true that you're the mistress of light?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why didn't you tell me about it before?"

"I didn't even know I had them until we had time traveled. Must I tell you everything?"

"Are you sure that you didn't know about it until During our little epic adventure?"

"I'm sure."

"I just wanted to make sure."

Zelda scooted over on the left side of her bed. She patted the right side. "I apologize for not having a chair, but you're welcome to dit here."

"I don't think that's necessary, Zelda."

"No, I insist. Please sit."

I took her up on her offer and sat down. I sighed again. "How have you been feeling?"

"I've been getting better. I should be back on my feet in a couple of days."

"I'm glad to hear that." I placed my arm around Zelda`s shoulder.

She smiled, lying her head against my chest. "If my mother were here, she would be angry to see that we are cuddled against each other like this. I suppose we should make these moments last as long as we can."

"I agree with you." I laid my head on top of hers. "I love you, Zelda."

"As do I, but why do you love me?"

"Because you're amazing."

"That can't be the only reason. There must be more than just that."

"Well, you're beautiful. And kind. And considerate. Respectful. Caring. Loyal. Honest. Generous. Incredible. I could just say so many positive things about you. I can't think of anything negative."

"Neither can I. When I do see something negative, I'll let you know."

"Well, at least you're being honest."

"Isn't honesty always the best policy?"

"It sure is."

Being gentle, I placed hand on her cheek and kissed her. Our lips touched with every second. It filled my heart with a lot of goodness. Once we parted our kiss, I had her cuddle against me for as long as she wanted. She fell asleep a little bit later, but I didn't let her go. I knew our love was strong. This was only the beginning, but the strongest part would come soon. Really soon.

* * *

 **WELL, THAT'S THE END OF THIS STORY. SORRY THIS HAS TO BE THE END.**

 **THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT WILL BE THE LAST PART OF THIS STORY. THE LAST SEQUEL IS GONNA BE EPIC. FOR THIS WEEK, I'LL BE WRITING MY CONTINUOUS NINJAGO APOCALYPSE STORY.**

 **WELL, LLOYD HAS FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ZELDA. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THIS WHOLE STORY. I'M SURE YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**

 **lovesgod12 OUT!**


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